Cemetery tours put a human face on history

MACON, Ga. --- Middle Georgia residents have the opportunity this month to commune with the spirits of some well-known (and long-departed) Maconites at Riverside Cemetery.

The cemetery, with help from Historic Macon and Cox Capitol Theatre, is presenting "Spirits In October," a walking tour of the cemetery in which actors portraying the likes of boxer W.L. "Young" Stribling, Col. Isaac Hardeman and industrialist Robert Findlay, among others, interact with tourists and talk about the life and times of some of the city's most interesting historical characters.

"We are learning about what other historic cemeteries around the country are doing to raise money and awareness," said Suzanne Doonan, the cemetery's executive director. "They are creating tours for people to learn more about the cemeteries and to raise money for them."

As a group approaches certain areas of the cemetery, the "ghost" of the famous person buried there will greet the group in costume and give details about the person's life.

Martha Malone, a voice teacher at Mercer University, portrays the ghost of Gladys Schofield, a landscape architect and member of a well-known family in the circles of Macon society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

"I did it last year," Ms. Malone said. "It's exciting. It's such a wonderful chance to learn about these people. With (Ms. Schofield), the truth was often stranger than fiction."

Stephen Hammack, an archaeologist in Warner Robins, joined the tour as an actor for the first time this year and landed the role of Mr. Stribling, at one time ranked the No. 1 heavyweight boxer in the world. Mr. Stribling died in 1933 after a motorcycle accident.

"I think this is great," Mr. Hammack said. "Macon needs something like this to help bring history alive."

Mr. Hammack said he prepared for the role by reading the Stribling biography King of the Canebreaks . He even watched clips of the boxer in action that have been posted on YouTube.

"I got into it," he said. "I think living history brings history to life in ways people aren't used to."

The tour points out other facts of interest, including the fact that cemetery property became one of the key defensive positions in the city for the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

Charles Snow, a cemetery board member, took the tour with his family.

"I think this is something people would like to do," he said. "It introduces people to the history of this cemetery. ... I think they did a good job with it, especially the actors portraying the people."

"People seemed to be very pleased with it and are spreading the word," Ms. Doonan said. "We hope we are making people aware of how compelling and how personable history becomes when you put a human face on it."