Mapping The Old Burial Ground in Ellsworth, ME
Surveying and cartography can provide vital insight(s) into the historical patterns of our ancestry. Kelly Bellis, a retired land surveyor, used Global Mapper® to map and document the oldest surviving burial ground located in the heart of Ellsworth, Maine, as an effort of preservation. Documenting information about graves helps map human history, and make cemeteries such as The Old Burial Ground’s history a bit more resilient against the passing of time. This type of research allows descendants to learn of their pasts and find the location of their ancestors, reconstruct a community’s past, and provide a glimpse of what was important to the people of those days.
Data communication is vital to historical work, especially spatial patterns such as clusters of ages and year of death rates. Digital maps are an essential part of historical research through their visualization of spatial information. Global Mapper provides the ability to collect, manage, and display this human history in a visual, and easily digestible, manner.
“Global Mapper, with its rich toolset, plays an essential role throughout the entire production process of both the map and the report.”
Initial On-The-Ground Survey
The mapping of the City of Ellsworth’s Old Burial Ground began by collecting drone imagery to create a spatially accurate orthoimage for reference and a base map. Accuracy was measured and improved using 3 photo control points across the subject area. Ground control points were surveyed using survey-grade GNSS receivers. Next, the 193 aerial images, flown at 35 meters above ground, were processed using structure from motion (SfM), including Global Mapper Pro’s photogrammetric processing tool, Pixels to Points, to produce a 3D model which was then used to evaluate the probability of existing graves where there were no headstones.
The dense raw point cloud data was initially determined to be too noisy prior to the book’s publication to include. Now with the publication deadline past, a subsequent effort is underway at Blue Marble Geographics using the same dense raw dataset to develop enhanced filtering commensurate to the high-resolution 3D model.
Communicating History Through Maps
Managing spatial data requires the creation and management of a tabular database. One of Global Mapper’s base functionalities is the ability to integrate data from multiple sources and formats into one place. Here, Global Mapper was used to create charts and color-coordinated map symbology to display data from the Burial Ground.
Out of the 165 headstones found in March 2024, among them were 143 that had a discernible year of death including the extrinsic year of death for Captain Edwin Lord. In instances where a single stone for multiple individuals contained multiple years of death dates, the first value given was used for this map. The 22 headstones without death year are shown with only their sequence number and without a color swatch.
Out of the 165 headstones found in March 2024, among them were 140 that had a discernible age at the time of death including the extrinsic age at death for Captain Edwin Lord. In instances where a single stone for multiple individuals contained multiple ages at death, the first value given was used for this map. The 25 headstones without death year are shown with only their sequence number and without a color swatch.
Access to Mapping The Old Burial Ground by Kelly Bellis
The book and its accompanying map, Mapping of the Old Burial Ground were published by the City of Ellsworth. Hard copies can be purchased at City Hall and digital versions are free.
- Direct PDF link [1]: Mapping the Old Burial Ground State Street, Ellsworth, Hancock County, Maine
- Direct PDF link [2]: https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Mapping-the-Old-Burial-Ground-with-map-v20240720.pdf
- Flipbook link: https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/government/boards-commissions/historic-preservation-committee/#flipbook-mapping-the-old-burial-grounds-july-2024/17/
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