Annual Crown Hill Cemetery Walk returns Sept. 19
This Saturday, September 19, the long-awaited Crown Hill Cemetery Walk returns!
Put on by the Washington County Theatre, this annual event combines history with fun as local actors bring historical characters to life with the stories of their lives. It started in 2015, and it offers attendees the chance to step back in time and meet some of Salem’s most memorable citizens. Each year, the cast and route change, ensuring a fresh experience for returning visitors.
There are reportedly seven new characters to encounter on the walk this year, with one notable newcomer being Gladys Barnett. Sworn in as a deputy sheriff as a teenager, she was the only woman in the state of Indiana who held that position at the time, while still being in high school.
This year, the Cemetery Walk is open one night only beginning at 7:00 pm and ending at 11:00 pm, with the last tour departing at that time. Tours leave every 10-15 minutes.
Organizer Charity Main advises that “because the line is always long in the first hour… we recommend coming in the middle or later in the evening.”
“One of the things we’re most proud of is that every single story on the cemetery walk is a true story,” Main added. “We put a lot of care into being as respectful and truthful as possible when sharing their lives. This really is the history of our community, and we feel honored to help keep those stories alive.”
To take the tour, guests will sign up at the table by the gate and be subsequently assigned a tour time and will wait until their tour is ready to begin. Several lanterns will be provided to each tour group.
The Cemetery Walk was started as a way to bring much-needed funding into the theatre, and has turned into a community staple that everyone enjoys every single year in the fall. Volunteers work to ensure everyone has a good, safe experience while learning more about local history and the people that helped shape Washington County into what it is today.
“It’s exciting,” Main said. “Hitting [another year] is a reminder of how much the community has embraced this event and how many people have poured their time, energy, and creativity into making it what it is.”
The walk is donation based and will fund multiple projects throughout the year for people of all ages to participate in.
Weathers Funeral Home will also be nearby serving hamburgers and drinks, with proceeds from those specific donations going to support CASA of Washington County.
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