Burial site of Ann Douglas Simonton on the shores of Casco Bay.

As part of the 1718-2018 Ulster-Scots Diaspora Reunion, we had the opportunity to take 30 attendees on a bus tour of Portland (originally Falmouth) and South Portland (originally Purpooduc). Among the stops was a visit to First Settlers Cemetery on the shore of Casco Bay still named “Simonton Cove”, named for the original 1718 Simonton family from the Strabane area of Ulster.

Several of the Scot-Irish settlers that came from Northern Ireland into Casco Bay in the late fall of 1718 are buried here including Ann Douglas Simonton. We held a little ceremony, planted heather, and placed several flags at her graveside during the tour in August 2018 to mark the 300th anniversary of this migration from Ulster to Maine.   

Remarkable Respect:

We re-visited the cemetery the following August of 2019 and the flags from the little ceremony were left untouched for a year. Hard to believe in such a public place, next to a popular beach, and a school that they remained undisturbed for a full year through a rugged winter, wet spring, and many grass mowings.

To our total surprise, after looking more closely at the picture originally posted on MOCA Facebook page and confirming with the photographer when it was taken (October 2020), shockingly, THE FLAGS WERE STILL THERE – MORE THAN TWO YEARS LATTER.

A testament to Maine people and their respect for those that came before.

Prepared by Dave McCausland