Windham has more than 20 cemeteries, graveyards and burial grounds – that we know of. Often, we hear about a “found” gravestone or a cluster of them that someone remembers seeing while on a hunting trip decades ago.

Cemeteries are the results of history and frequently, studying the old mildewed markers can lead to a journey into the past. Some of Windham’s graveyards are in themselves, unique – and sometimes what you find in them is unique.

There’s a cemetery on Stevens Road that has a plaque in memory of John Libby (1610-1682), first settler of Scarborough. The plaque says that the stone it’s mounted on is from the John Libby homestead, and was placed here in 1975 in memory of all the descendants buried throughout the town.

And there’s another Stevens Cemetery, located in the southern part of town – where there are no gravestones at all. There may have been at some time in the past, but they’ve all disappeared. This was a “family” cemetery and there are at least 20 burials here.

At Windham Hill Cemetery, inscribed on a long stone table on posts, are the names of Dr. Thomas Parsons’ children – 10 sons and 9 daughters. Must have been a busy place around the Parsons household. He and his brother Charles, both doctors, lived and practiced at Windham Hill. The town of Parsonsfield was named for Parsons, early proprietors of that town.

There are two cemeteries where former tenants in the poor house are buried. When a tenant died and had no family, the town designated where they were to be buried – Brown Cemetery or Mayberry. Usually there was no gravestone supplied. Today, these empty places are a cause of curiosity.

There’s a burial site where only two former neighbors are buried – in a pasture or former pasture.

Rumors and stories handed down over the ages also mention ghostly apparitions at some of the old burial grounds. So far we haven’t encountered them. We’ll be looking, though.