We do a nighttime “Spirit Walk” of our local cemetery. Volunteer actors portray noted and infamous “residents” of the cemetery. We have all kinds of folks – from an War of 1812 hero to local madams and pimps of the 1930’s, and everything in between.

 

A volunteer coordinator and I write thumbnail biographies of each featured person and give it to the person portraying them. Then we set up a “scene” in the cemetery near each featured grave. For instance, we set up a vintage card table and chairs near one of our “madam’s” graves. She and her pimp sit there playing cards and drinking a bottle of wine during the tour. (Our city had quite a racy reputation as a sportsmen’s paradise during the 1900-1950 era, so the madam and pimp are relevant. And of course it’s hysterical to see them mixed in with the war heros and captains of industry.

 

We take groups of about 25 on the lantern lit tour. The tours are led by a museum staff member (usually me) and a volunteer who’s really got a lot of knowledge and a quick humor. He portrays “Mortimer the Mortician” who has come back to act as a medium between the “quick and the dead.” So, he’s the only one the “spirits” can see and hear, so all questions have to go through him. (This keeps the information needed by our volunteer actors to a minimum, and keeps them from being pelted with off the wall questions.)  

 

It’s a low budget operation – we highlight the graves on the tour with a small jar candle on top of the tombstone. Lightsticks (weather and wind proof) are placed to light the path. After all, you don’t want too much light! And I place an occasional fake raven or skull on some of the tombstones near the path for effect.

 

We do not do any “booing” or other scary stuff – a nighttime stroll through the cemetery in October takes care of creating just enough anxiety to be fun.

 

Let me know if you need further information,

Becky Fitzgerald

Susquehanna Museum

 

 

How about a cemetery tour? Maybe you have some artifacts about some prominent local residents at your museum and could do a tour of their graves and tie it together that way.