Will Wake the Dead With an Emphasis on Civil War Anniversary
Fairfield Museum and History Center will hold an interactive graveyard tour at Fairfield's East Cemetery, located at the end of the Old Post Road in Fairfield, Conn. from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 14th. According to Museum genealogist Roderick MacKenzie, this tour is particularly important, because 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War and there are 14 Fairfield Civil War veterans buried in the East Cemetery.
"We have been particularly careful to create detailed histories of our various subjects and are involving volunteer actors who really will bring their spirits to life," MacKenzie said. The tour will include authentic portrayals of Fairfield individuals like Major John Morehouse, lst Cavalry in the Civil War, Christopher Wells, Sr., lst rural mail carrier and Civil War veteran, Charles W. Thorpe, in John Morehouse's regiment in Civil War, Captain Hanford Nichols – Civil War veteran, Amelia Sturges, who married J. Pierpont Morgan; John Bunker who lived in the Sun Tavern during the middle 1800s and a War of 1812 veteran; and Revolutionary War veterans, Abel and Aron Turney, whose family lived in the area of the East cemetery. One served on The Fence, a Revolutionary War ship; And the other on the Alliance, another war ship.
The cemetery is also the resting place for Edwin Randolph, a slave who lived to be about 100 and worked for the Jennings family in Fairfield and enjoyed going to Long Island Sound for clamming.
Tour participants will also learn about the history of the cemetery and about the symbols on the gravestones.
The Rain Date for the Cemetery Tour is Saturday, May 21 at 2 p.m. The cost of the tour is $7, non-members, $5 members and registration is preferred. For more information, please contact the Museum visitors center at 203-259-1598 or visit the website at www.fairfieldhs.org.
ABOUT THE FAIRFIELD MUSEUM AND HISTORY CENTER
The Fairfield Museum is located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, CT. Hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends from Noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free for members, $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for children age 5 and under. For more information on exhibits and upcoming programs, visit www.fairfieldhs.org or call the Fairfield Museum at 203-259-1598. The Museum annually hosts more than 18,000 visitors.
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