Fall News from Hope Cemetery and Hope Woods

Fall 2026

Fall is a beautiful time to stroll through Hope Cemetery and Hope Woods! Explore on your own or join one of the scheduled activities happening this fall (read on for more info).

Inside:

Hope Cemetery Updates: Cemetery History-Moving Graves, All Souls' Walk
News of Hope Woods: Drive to be the Best Awards, Annual Appeal, Acorn Abundance, Walks Continue

Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods

https://hopewoodsfriends.org

friendsofhcw@gmail.com

Hope Cemetery Corporation

https://hopecemeterykennebunk.com

hopecemetery@yahoo.com

Hope Cemetery History - Moving Graves

Up until 1891 cemeteries and human remains were allowed to be moved, and it happened frequently. Although laws were initially passed in 1891 to prevent human remains from being moved indiscriminately, the practice unfortunately continued into the 1940's until more strict statutes were passed in Maine.

When the cemetery next to the Unitarian Parish was created in 1817, many families moved the remains of their families from their private family burial grounds to the new cemetery.

This is exactly how the remains of Hannah Storer, along with her headstone, were moved in 1817 from the grounds of the Storer Mansion to the newly created cemetery. Her son Joseph bought a plot from the cemetery proprietors that year.

This has caused much confusion over the years and caused some historians to state that she was the first burial in the graveyard because her headstone has a date of 1790. In reality, deed research proves there was no cemetery in that location prior to 1817, so we do not know who was actually buried there first.

Hope Cemetery to Host All Souls' Walk

On October 24th, Hope Cemetery will host the Brick Store Museum's annual All Souls' Walk. The All Souls’ Walk invites participants into Hope Cemetery, led by a knowledgeable tour guide, to “meet” the ghosts of Kennebunk’s past residents and learn about their lives.

Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.

Moving Graves, Part 2

As stated earlier it was commonplace for graves to be relocated in Maine prior to laws being created to prohibit it.

When the “New Section” of Hope Cemetery was created in 1854, 37 years after the creation of the Church Yard section, Daniel Wise (who owned the home now occupied by the Bibber Funeral Home) removed the bodies of his parents, wife and siblings from the family burial grounds on his property to that new section. These were the first to be buried there.

Captain George Lord moved his deceased family members there in November of 1855. Others followed suit. The Daniel Little and Bourne families were moved from a cemetery near what is now the Waldo Emerson Inn to Hope Cemetery in 1855. Porter Hall & his wife Mary (Dane) and their deceased children were moved from the graveyard near the church to Hope Cemetery in October of 1859. The Hubbard family disinterred their family from a graveyard once located at what is now 51 Summer Street and moved them to Hope Cemetery in 1861.

At the bottom of many stones in Hope Cemetery, you can sometimes find inscriptions as to when they were moved to Hope. Such is the case for Elijah Bettes whose body was moved in May of 1855 (see photo above). Captain James Ross and his son were moved to Hope from the corner of the Ross Road and Emmons Road in the 1960s or later.

It is reasonable to suggest that any gravestone in the "new section" of Hope Cemetery with a date prior to 1854 was moved there from elsewhere. One would imagine the task to move these graves was not an enjoyable one.

**Many thanks to Kathy Ostrander Roberts, Kennebunk Town Historian, for sharing the information with us for these articles.

Drive to Be the Best - Kudos and Thanks

At the Chamber’s annual Drive to Be the Best Awards dinner on September 9th, our President Emeritus, George C. Harrington, was presented with the Joel Stevens Community Spirit Award. This award was created 20 years ago to recognize individuals who, over many years, have served our community with distinction.

Not only is George an invaluable part of Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods, but he and his wife DD provide key support to a long list of other local nonprofits. To see the entire presentation, click here. Congratulations to George for receiving this well-deserved recognition!

In the Drive to Be the Best Certificates category, Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods was honored to receive two awards: We were the Gold Winner for Best Trails/Walks, and Silver Winner for Guided Tours/Walks. Kudos and thanks to Gordon Collins for guiding the walks and to Steve Mahler and all of our volunteers who care for the trees and trails.

Most of all, thank you to all who voted for us. We appreciate your support!

Annual Appeal

Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods will be sending our Annual Appeal letter in the mail to all on our mailing list. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. To donate online, click here or scan the QR code. Checks payable to Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods may be mailed to Friends at PO Box 1550, Kennebunk, ME 04043. Donations can be directed for a specific use (e.g. Hope Cemetery's Historic Receiving Tomb Restoration Project, Hope Woods Trail maintenance). Unspecified donations are placed in the General Fund to be used where the need is greatest.

Acorn Abundance Ambiguity

If you think 2026 may be a bumper year for acorns, you are not alone. Our trail steward volunteers have been pondering the same since August, whispering if we could be looking at a whopper acorn year like we experienced in 2024.

These bursts of over-the-top acorn abundance, also known as “mast years,” is a phenomenon occurring every 2-5 years. How and why oak trees select some years to overproduce remains elusive to science.

One theory, called predator satiation hypothesis, suggests that within a region, all oaks will cyclically and simultaneously “glut the market,” or make more acorns than can be consumed by mammals and birds. The theory suggests trees do this for self-preservation, as if to ensure that some uneaten acorns will make their way to a soil bed and ultimately provide life for a future force of oak trees.

The most fascinating unknown element about mast years centers on what triggers the oaks to overdo a prosperity promise. Is it climate conditions, or could it be some form of underground-rooted (puns intended!) vibrational communication? See this blogpost from The Nature Conservancy for more theories.

Hope Woods Walks Continue Through November

We continue to see record numbers of visitors to Hope Woods, with over 4200 visits tallied in August. To date, we are averaging 95 visits per day! Part of these numbers are due to participation in our scheduled walks.

We have two more Guided Walks this season: Sunday, October 11th at 1:00 PM and Saturday, November 14th at 10 AM. These walks are led by Maine Master Naturalist Gordon Collins and are personalized to match the group attending that day. To sign up, email us at friendsofhcw@gmail.com.

The Nordic Walking group continues to meet through November (weather permitting) on Monday mornings at 9:30 AM at the Hope Woods trailhead. Poles are provided. No registration required.

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