From the cover: The slate gravestones of southern Maine bear evidence to the region's fascinating history, from shipwrecks and famous wartime sea captains to countless ordinary citizens. Master stonecutter Bartlett Adams (1776-1828) memorialized the tragedy and triumph of the region in nearly two thousand gravestones. Examine the artistry of the headstones that mark the resting places of three generations of the same family who all went down with the schooner Charles, and discover the grief that Adams poured into the stones for his own three children.

Additional info: This book is richly illustrated with the designs Adams and his workers carved into slate and marble gravestones found in over 150 cemeteries in southern Maine. Chapters on his apprentices and shop workers, some of whom went on to their own successful stone-cutting careers, show their own unique designs and writing styles. The discovery of Bartlett Adams' farm and his love of tending orchards adds a new dimension to the man himself. And a fascinating family story - complete with some photographs of his descendants - helps to put a spotlight on this man who was integral to the town of Portland in the early 1800s.