BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2021
The Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery, 90 acres in Fayette, officially opened in July 2021, but the project has been percolating for years said Theresa Kerchner, executive director of the Kennebec Land Trust and Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery. “We partnered with a funeral home to educate us to get off the ground, but we’re not tied to any one funeral home,” said Dave Fuller, president of Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery board of directors. “They know how to handle burials.” This partnership, which Kerncher believes is the first of its kind in the country, frees up the Kennebec Land Trust to focus on its other projects. Ten acres out of the total 90-acre parcel could be used as burial ground. Kennebec Land Trust added an ADA-accessible trail for visitors to reach the burial sites. A pollinator garden and preservation of the lower, shrubby habitat are in the works.