BIDDEFORD — It’s unknown who is buried in four graves marked only with initials on the University of New England’s campus. However, Alan Thibeault, assistant vice president of planning, wanted to “give these people back some dignity,” he said Aug. 7, while viewing the grave stones on the Old Pool Road, located on the Biddeford campus.

For that reason, he used an extra $4,000 in his budget to clear away overgrown shrubs, weeds and other debris, replace the front granite columns that had broken and the iron rod fencing that was twisted, to make the site more attractive.

The work done earlier this year is the first time upkeep was conducted at the small cemetery in his more than 30 years with the university, said Thibeault.

The facilities staff has been asked to maintain the area in its new, upgraded state, he said.

The state of the cemetery was unlike that of several other small cemeteries on or adjacent to the UNE campus, said Thibeault.

These include a crypt where the remains of those who have donated their bodies to the university are buried; an area where Msgr. Arthur Decary, the founder of St. Francis College, the precursor of UNE, and his brother Fr. Zenon Decary, lie; a small cemetery of an adjacent lot on private property; and a small cemetery owned by the city that dates from 1719 to 1830, when Biddeford was still a town.

The grounds of the “town” cemetery, which is on a small plot of city land, bordered by the university, is maintained by UNE, but some of the gravestones are broken and in disrepair. Thibeault said he’d like the city to get involved to make repairs.

There is also another cemetery that is marked on maps, but he said he has so far been unable to identify it.

The university purchased the land where the cemetery that was recently cleaned up is located from the Haley family, said Thibeault. He said he thinks it’s likely that the graves belong to deceased members of that family, but he hasn’t been able to verify that.

He said he felt it was important to make the cemetery more appealing looking, because “grave sites honor the memory of people, even if you don’t know who they are.”

“We were fortunate to have some extra money to try to make it right,” said Thibeault.

Lynette Strangstad, in her book “A Graveyard Preservation Primer,” published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in recent years, more people are recognizing graveyards as “historic landscapes” and “cultural resources.” Graveyards can relay information about former inhabitants of the area, and the designs of headstones reflect the culture of the period, she said.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf contributed to this story. Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.