2005 Year in Review

Sesquicentennial Ghost Walk

Are you looking for a unique, dramatic experience at an outdoor venue this fall? Consider Morrison’s Grove Hill Cemetery.

Yesiree, you read that right! Morrison Sesquicentennial is hosting an evening cemetery walk on Saturday, September 24 from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M.

This intriguing fundraiser features costumed interpretations of former, local residents using first-person sketches. Historic tombstones, monuments, or family plots act as the backdrop.

Our goal is to lead 108 citizens through the cemetery. The sesquicentennial committee has unpaid bills of $4500. Funds raised from the ghost walk will help defray these expenses.

Eleven area actors will portray six tragic “ghosts” of Grove Hill Cemetery: William Pleasant (former slave); Charles Edward Tanderup (fated carpenter); Walter Augustin Stowell (Black Hawk War veteran) and his Caregiver; Anna Buis Huisingh (tuberculosis victim); Lydia A. Pollard Hulett (midwife & practitioner of home remedies); Mary Robertson and children (diphtheria victims.)

Although the epitaphs are historical fiction pieces, they contain much factual information about each person and the time period. This was obtained from obituaries, news articles, historical records, and books. The scripts are designed to inform and entertain all ages.

However, the scenes are sprinkled with a measure of irony and humor. Lydia Hulett will tell you she removed a bullet from a prisoner with carbolic acid, a knitting needle, and pincers, saving his life for the hanging that took it.

Reserved tickets are available at Thecity1.com office, 218 W. Main, in Morrison, through Friday, September 23. Tickets then will be available at Grove Hill Cemetery beginning at 7:15 P.M. on September 24 near the speaker stand on High Street.

The donation for this Sesquicentennial fund-raiser is $5 and includes a poster. Only 18 tickets are available for each time slot, so purchasers are encouraged to buy early. The committee plans to sell all 108 tickets.

Each ticket has a specific departure time, beginning at 7:45 P.M., and guided groups leave the speaker stand area every 15 minutes. The last group begins the circuit at 9:00. Tours last about 45 minutes.

In case of rain, the performances will be held Sunday, September 25. Tickets will be honored for the time as printed.

A booklet of the six scripts sells for $2. For more information, contact Stephanie Vavra at (815) 772-3144.

by Stephanie A. Vavra, Guest Columnist
September 12, 2005