A live-action version of long-buried history is being resurrected this fall at the Old Clarkesville Cemetery.
A new event hosted by the Historic Clarkesville Cemetery Preservation, Inc. board of directors invites visitors into the historic cemetery to learn more about four individuals who sleep beneath the towering native trees.
History among the Hemlocks: A Spirited Tour of the Old Clarkesville Cemetery is set for two nights only, Oct. 25-26, with tours lasting approximately 30 minutes, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Guests will be met at the cemetery entrance by a Victorian-era grave digger who will share a brief history of the site and its significance in Clarkesville’s history. Another character draped in Victorian mourning garb will also act as a guide.
Four actors portraying residents [or relatives of] the Old Clarkesville Cemetery will share tidbits of history not captured through an online gravesite listing but passed down through oral history and verified through modern research methods.
For this inaugural event, visitors will learn more about Moses Harshaw, remembered as “meanest man in Georgia,” Amanda Deas, a pioneering African-American businesswoman whose grave is unmarked but whose tangible legacy is visible nearby, Calvin Hanks, a local attorney who was stabbed to death in the Clarkesville square in 1834 and Rev. Hugh Hawthorne, a visiting Presbyterian minister who drowned at Tallulah Gorge in 1837.
Proceeds from ticket sales and all donations will continue to fund the restoration and preservation work at the Old Clarkesville Cemetery.
The cemetery is located just off Jefferson Street, with the entrance arbor accessible on the E. Morgan Street side. Parking is available downtown and at Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church.
Timed ticketing is available through www.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit oldclarkesvillecemetery.com.
Note: Not recommended for children 10-under
