COLUMBIA, S.C., Wednesday, April 5, 2017 — Historic Columbia’s popular Cemetery Tours return onThursday, April 13 starting at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Elmwood Cemetery. Offered on the second Thursday of each month, April through September, Historic Columbia’s Cemetery Tours bring 160 years of history to life.
“Each day, thousands of commuters drive past Elmwood Cemetery without realizing what a historic treasure it is in the heart of downtown,” says James Quint, Historic Columbia’s director of education. “These tours will uncover incredible stories of life, love and intrigue hidden in one of Columbia’s oldest cemeteries.”
Grab a flashlight and discover centuries of stories etched in stone on the markers and headstones found within Elmwood Cemetery’s acres of carefully planned grounds on one of two tour options available:
- The Secrets from the Grave tour starts before dark at 7:30 p.m. to allow attendees to study the symbols found on many of the markers and headstones in the cemetery.
- The Moonlight Cemetery Tour, offered at 8 and 8:30 p.m., discusses the lives, burials, cemetery plots and tombstones of families and notable citizens from Columbia’s 19th and 20th centuries.
An event the whole family will enjoy, Cemetery Toursare $8/adult and $4/youth for members and $12/adult and $6/youth for non-members. To purchase tickets, visit historiccolumbia.org, email[email protected] or call (803) 252-1770 x 23. Tours will take place at Elmwood Cemetery located at 501 Elmwood Ave.
About Historic Columbia:
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 historiccolumbia.org or find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube for more details.
Photo caption: Join Historic Columbia on tours of Elmwood Cemetery, one of Columbia’s oldest cemeteries, and discover centuries of stories etched in stone on markers and headstones.
Anna Kate Twitty
Director of Marketing & Communications
