Cedar Brook Burial Ground - natural interment

Dust to dust (and no more) Limington’s green cemetery

2007-11-18T08:29:00.001-05:00

by Cliff White, Staff Writer, Gorham Westbrook Gazette, November 16, 2007

Peter McHugh rides his all-terrain vehicle across the 2.1 acres of 150-acre property he has recently devoted to creating Maine’s first green cemetery.

He points out prospective locations for burial sites – little spaces of cleared land marked only by brown fallen leaves amidst a forest of mostly bare trees. . . .

Maine law allows small family graveyards no larger than a quarter-acre without the need for a permit, as long as no bodies are buried within 25 rods (413 feet) from the nearest land used for public recreation or potable water source. However, some years ago, McHugh decided he wanted to create a cemetery that gives others the option to be buried in a more natural fashion than otherwise available.

“I wanted to give people the option to be buried in the way they prefer,” McHugh says. “If they prefer a more environmentally friendly, less costly method of burial, then they should have that option.”

The town of Limington has no local ordinances regarding the development of commercial cemeteries, so McHugh needed only to apply to the state. In September, McHugh registered his cemetery – named the Cedar Brook Burial Ground after a local topographical feature – with the Department of Health and Human Services. McHugh says it took only about 10 days after the submission of his application to receive notice of his registration as a cemetery. . . .

McHugh allows customers to choose their own space in his cemetery, and to mark the spot with any local stone, which he says he will allow to be engraved. He says he will allow unlimited visitations by anyone interested. . . .

“Last year 22,500 cemeteries across the US buried 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid, 104,272 tons of steel, 2,700 tons of copper and bronze, 30-plus million board feet of hardwoods and 1.6 million tons of concrete,” Christensen says. “In purely ecological terms, how we bury our dead is unsustainable.”

Mark Harris, author of the book “Grave Matters,” an examination of alternative methods of burial, said green cemeteries are becoming more popular in America because they are easier on the environment. . . .

Green burials can also help save a different kind of green – the kind found in people’s wallets.

“Between charges for embalming, a metal casket, a vault, a headstone, the cemetery charges for a plot and the opening and closing of a grave, and the fee for perpetual care and maintenance of the gravesite, funeral costs today can easily run $10,000 or more,” Harris said. “Green burials, in contrast, run in the low thousands of dollars, and can be less depending on personal choices. So the cost differential is huge.”

McHugh says saving on funeral costs is a significant factor in choosing a green burial ground.

“It’s a simpler, less costly way to bury your loved one,” McHugh says. “Traditional funerals can get very expensive. I wanted to give people another option.”

For complete article

When you want a DIY answer to funeral planning

2009-03-08T13:59:00.004-04:00

CROSSINGS is a home funeral and green burial resource center fostering the integration of dying and after-death care back to the family. There are affordable and environmentally responsible alternatives to conventional funeral and burial care.

Click here for more information

Two funerals, two days apart

2009-03-07T09:00:00.004-05:00

A family faces the daunting task of arranging burials for two grandfathers within 17 days.

The Surprising Satisfactions of a Home Funeral
By Max Alexander, Smithsonian Magazine, March 2009

When his father and father-in-law died within days of each other, author Max Alexander learned much about the funeral industry.

Click here for more information

First Green Cemetery to open in Maine

2007-10-26T08:46:00.001-04:00

According to the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maine, Cedar Brook Burial Ground is the first green burial site in New England.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maine

2008-07-22T19:20:00.015-04:00

As a voluntary, nonprofit and educational organization, The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maine exists to help people plan ahead for their funeral arrangements.

The FCA of Maine is an excellent source of information:

Choices and alternatives available for these final decisions
Laws and practices pertaining to death, burial, cremation, anatomical gifts

Some suggestions:

Familiarize yourself with the alternative burial arrangements available to you, such as embalming, visitation, viewing, funeral service, cremation, burial, memorial service, urn, casket, etc.
Discuss your wishes with those who will be responsible for carrying them out.
Obtain their agreement with your decisions.
Gather important information together:
Social Security number,bank information, location of your final will and testament.
Complete their Personal Information Form to facilitate gathering these facts.

Interview with Mark Harris, author of Grave Matters

2008-10-29T13:27:00.004-04:00

Whatever Happened to ‘Dust to Dust’?

You Can Still Find It in Green Burial

By the time Nate Fisher was laid to rest in a woodland grave sans coffin in the final season of Six Feet Under, Americans all across the country were starting to look outside the box when death came calling. For more info.

Listen to the interview with Mark Harris on Fresh Air by host, Terry Gross.

Lakin's "do-it-yourself" funerals

2008-10-02T15:47:00.002-04:00

Funeral Options

Funeral planning is less stressful and can cost less if planned ahead. Many people do not know they can plan a funeral or burial. More info

Cedar Brook Burial Ground

2008-08-25T09:51:00.003-04:00

Visitors are welcome to tour the Grounds.

Within the borders of Cedar Brook Burial Ground sits the rock wall-enclosed Joshua Small Cemetery, a tiny, historic graveyard . . . . more

New gate installed at Joshua Small Cemetery

2008-09-16T09:13:00.003-04:00

The Limington Historical Society the Joshua Small Cemetery contracted with Timothy Greene of Standfast Works Forge of Parsonsfield, Maine to fabricate a new gate for The Joshua Small Cemetery . . . more

Driving directions from Hampton, NH Toll booth

2007-10-02T14:39:00.016-04:00

Driving directions to 175 Boothby Rd, Limington, ME 04049
67.5 mi – about 1 hour 30 mins

in Hampton, NH 03842 at the Toll booth:

Head north on I-95 N toward Exit 2, Partial toll road, Entering Maine
Take exit 32 for ME-111 toward Biddeford 0.4 mi
Turn right at Alfred St/Carl Broggi Hwy/ME-111 (signs for Sanford/ME-111) 3.5 mi
Turn right at Hill Rd 2.1 mi
Continue on Church St 0.2 mi
Slight right at Goodwins Mills Rd/ME-35 2.8 mi
Turn left at ME-35/ME-5/New County Rd 75 ft
Turn right at Clarks Mills Rd/ME-35 Continue to follow ME-35 4.7 mi
Turn left at Cape Rd/ME-117 9.7 mi
Turn right at Boothby Rd 0.6 mi
Slight left on Boothby Rd 0.1 mi
Slight left on Boothby Rd 0.8 mi 175 Boothby Rd, Limington, ME 04049

These directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly. You must obey all signs or notices regarding your route.
Map data ©2008 NAVTEQ™

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Driving directions from Portland, ME

2007-10-01T09:54:00.001-04:00

Driving directions to 175 Boothby Rd, Limington, ME 04049 from Portland, ME
26.2 mi – about 54 mins

1. Head southwest on Congress St toward Exchange St 0.4 mi
2. Turn right at Forest Ave 0.7 mi
3. Turn right to merge onto I-295 S toward So Portland 0.9 mi
4. Take exit 5B for Congress St/ME-22 W 0.2 mi
5. Merge onto Congress St/ME-22 1.4 mi
6. Slight right at Westbrook St 1.3 mi
7. Continue on Stroudwater St 1.7 mi
8. Turn left at ME-25/William L Clarke Dr Continue to follow ME-25 2.3 mi
9. Slight left at Main St/ME-25 Continue to follow ME-25 15.5 mi
10. Turn left at Boothby Rd 1.7 mi to 175 Boothby Rd, Limington, ME 04049

These directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly. You must obey all signs or notices regarding your route.
Map data ©2008 NAVTEQ™

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FAQ: Price & requirements

2007-10-14T10:56:00.000-04:00

Cedar Brook Burial Ground is an environmentally green cemetery.

Price:

$800 - Single burial site
$1400 - Double burial site
$600 - Military veterans
$300 - Cremated remains - one burial
Pets allowed at no additional cost

Requirements:

Use of a shroud or biodegradable container, i.e. pine box with no finish

No use of chemicals allowed

Contact information

2007-10-08T10:23:00.001-04:00

Contact Peter McHugh
Cedar Brook Burial Ground
PO Box 511,
175 Boothby Rd, Limington, ME 04049-0511
207.637.2085
Email

Visitors welcome

2008-03-10T15:04:00.003-04:00

Winter visitors at Cedar Brook Burial Ground

Cedar Brook Burial Ground is located on a 150 acre tree farm thirty miles due west of Portland. Within its borders sits the rock wall-enclosed Joshua Small Cemetery, a tiny, historic graveyard whose dozen burials date back to the early 1800s.

We will have an Open House in the Spring. New paths with memorial stones will be available in addition to the more traditional plots.

If you would like to be notified of the Open House and other up coming events, please submit your email address at: CBBG.

Cedar Brook Burial Ground is now open

2007-10-12T08:32:00.000-04:00

There are very few Green Burial sites in the United States.

This is the first "Green Cemetery" in Maine. Each burial site will have a specific location. Visitors will be able to find the resting place of the loved one using global positioning equipment.

For more information on Green Burial see the links on the right.
For questions on Cedar Brook Burial Ground

Maine a pioneer in green cemeteries

2007-10-28T08:42:00.000-04:00

Peter McHugh’s 150-acre tree farm already contains a small graveyard, and now he has Cedar Brook Burial Ground, about 20 miles west of Portland, ready to do business as a green cemetery.

There are seven green cemeteries in the United States, according to national experts.

A green cemetery contains people buried in simple graves, usually in natural, forested areas. Bodies are wrapped in shrouds or placed in wicker or pine coffins. The cemeteries do not accept bodies containing formaldehyde or other embalming chemicals, and they don't accept metal coffins or use concrete vaults.

They also don't have manicured, fertilized lawns or polished granite monuments.

From an article by John Richardson, Staff Writer, October 28, 2007 in the Maine Sunday Telegram

New Green Cemetery in Maine

2007-10-04T08:14:00.000-04:00

Work is underway creating a green cemetery in Limington, Maine. Request details