Historic Columbia Foundation’s Moonlight Cemetery Tours Return July 11
July 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – July 8, 2013 – One hundred and sixty years of history will come to life during Historic Columbia Foundation’s annual Cemetery Tours offered on the second Thursday of the month April through September. One of Columbia’s oldest cemeteries, there are centuries of stories etched in stone on the markers and headstones found within Elmwood’s acres of carefully planned grounds.
HCF’s annual Cemetery Tours, which include two options, return Thursday, July 11, 2013. Guests can take a Secrets from the Grave Iconography Tour at 7:30 pm or a Moonlight Cemetery Tour at 8 or 8:30 pm.
The Secrets from the Grave tour starts before dark to allow attendees to study the symbols found on so many of the markers and headstones in the cemetery. The Moonlight Cemetery Tours are led by a costumed guide and include narrative about the lives, burials, cemetery plots and tombstones of families and prominent citizens from Columbia’s 19th and 20th centuries.
Tickets are $10 for general admission adults, $5 for general admission youth (17 and under), $5 for HCF member adults and $3 for HCF member youth and can be purchased at www.HCFCemeteryTour.eventbrite.com.
“Hundreds of people drive past Elmwood Cemetery every day without realizing what a historic treasure it is,” says Sarah Blackwell, HCF’s director of programs. “We hope you will join us for a tour of this beautiful cemetery and discover the incredible stories of life, love and valor Elmwood offers!”
About Historic Columbia Foundation
In November 1961, a small group of individuals intent on saving the Ainsley Hall House from demolition officially incorporated as the Historic Columbia Foundation. Over the next five decades the organization, which was founded on the premise of preservation and education, would take on the stewardship of seven historic properties in Richland County. Today, the organization serves as a model for local preservation efforts and interpretation of local history. Visit http://www.historiccolumbia.org for details.
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