Monster Mash
A cemetery as a cultural gemstone... and the perfect place for a Halloweenwalking tour!
‘Tis the season for some good old fashion cemetery stompin'! It is for me at least, since I can’t seem to go a weekend without ending up in one of Austin’s (say this part in a scary voice) lairs of the dead. This weekend is no different; Saturday will bring the Murder, Mayhem & Misadventure walking tour of the city’s oldest cemetery, Oakwood.
This will be the 5th annual Halloween tour of Oakwood Cemetery, hosted by Save Austin’s Cemeteries, founded in 2004 by Dale Flatt. SAC participates in preservation efforts at five different city cemeteries, but it was the Oakwood cemetery that inspired it's creation.
Flatt explained that Oakwood holds some of Austin’s oldest history. It was an overlooked piece of land with un-kept artifacts (like a limestone monument dating back to 1842) and numerous ancient-looking headstones that families have forgotten or moved away from, over time. SAC's preservation work keeps these spaces in a proper condition for the public to enjoy both today and in the future.
I really believe that cemeteries are cultural resources. They are outdoor museums. We need people to see that in order to encouraged them to be a part of the conservation effort.
“I really believe that cemeteries are cultural resources. They are outdoor museums. We need people to see that in order to encouraged them to be a part of the conservation effort,” says Flatt.
These spaces are as beautiful and serene as they are culturally significant—and the upkeep required isn't cheap. The maintenance of Oakwood costs around 1.5 million dollars per year, and the current monetary support structure for Austin’s cemeteries is only projected to last for another 35 years. In the meantime, people like Flatt are doing all that they can to prove the historical worth of these once crumbling, and almost forgotten, pieces of the past.
Events like Saturday’s walking tour are aimed at increasing public awareness and interest. Along the way, costumed characters will be tell the tales of the dead, including a eulogy that will be read for one of the more famous eternal-patrons-of-the-dirt-nap at Oakwood.
“It’s not about the scary, really, it’s more about the history,” warns Flatt. So it’s safe for the whole family, even the squeamish ones who had their eyes squeezed shut through the spooky parts of Hocus Pocus.
The Oakwood Cemetery tours begin Saturday at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Located at 1601 Navasota. It’s free to get in, but donations will gladly be accepted from anyone who wants to help keep the dead…alive!
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Visit the Save Austin’s Cemeteries website at sachome.org