A few residents of the Old Clarkesville Cemetery will make an appearance through local actors this weekend.
History Among the Hemlocks: A Spirited Stroll through the Old Clarkesville Cemetery will take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. It's a fundraiser for the cemetery's restoration and preservation, according to Lane Gresham a board member with Historic Clarkesville Cemetery Preservation, Inc.
"This is a live theatre event where we are going to feature four of the individuals who are interred at the cemetery and tell their stories in a dramatic fashion," said Gresham.
Guests will be guided on a walking tour, visiting the decorated graves of the residents. Gresham said they range from a lady of high society to a simple farmhand.
"Francis Eugene Durbec, who was a noted Civil War photographer who moved to Clarkesville to open a hotel. C.P. Wiley's mother, Mary Parks Wiley, will speak about her son who was killed in the Civil War at 17 years old at Fredericksburg," said Gresham. "Willis Milliken who was just shy his 14th birthday - he is our first documented burial - and he was in Clarkesville working on a farm for the summer and so he died. The last one is Annie Sutton. And Annie was a society woman, she was the daughter of the first ordinary of Habersham County."
Gresham is an actor in the live theatre production and also wrote the scripts. She worked with a genealogist to create an accurate storyline for each character. It's the second year they've hosted the historical cemetery walkthrough.
Tickets are $40 can be purchased online here. More information about the event can be found here.
