LEYDEN — Just in time for Halloween, Leyden residents will learn about their predecessors in a most unusual and spooky setting — the cemetery.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Leyden Historical Commission is holding an evening of historical cemetery tours at South Cemetery on Greenfield Road. The event, called “Ghosts and Gravestones” is a fundraiser for the Historical Commission.
JoAnn Helbig, a member of the Historical Commission, proposed the idea over the winter, having attended a cemetery tour while vacationing on Cape Cod.
The tours involve actors and actresses who dress up like deceased residents who were interred in the cemetery. The actors and actresses then stand by their characters’ gravestones and tell their characters’ life stories, giving current residents a unique opportunity to learn about the town’s history through testimonials.
Members of the commission loved the idea and began working to organize their own tours in Leyden. Historical Commission Chairwoman Ginny Rockwood said she walked around South Cemetery writing down the names of former residents, and the commission researched the individuals.
“You really start to get a feel for what the town was like,” Rockwood said.
Rockwood said the tours will include as many as 20 actors and actresses. Two featured characters include Matthew Severence, a Vermont native who escaped from capture by Native Americans in 1758 and later settled in Leyden, and Harriet Severence, who was born in Leyden and kept a detailed diary illustrative of life in the 1800s.
Tours leave from the Leyden Town Hall at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Guests will park in the town center and travel down to South Cemetery by tractor-drawn hay wagon. The tours are $10 for adults and $7 for children.
However, “Ghosts and Gravestones” includes more than simply cemetery tours. The locally produced, 1973 documentary “Root Hog or Die” will be screened continuously at Leyden Town Hall, where guests can also enjoy refreshments or participate in a raffle. Children can participate in Halloween-themed crafts.
The Historical Commission has been working to raise a total of $200,000 to purchase and renovate the former blacksmith’s shop near the town center, hoping to use the building to store town artifacts. Rockwood said the cemetery tours will be the commission’s largest fundraiser so far.
Currently, the commission stores artifacts in Town Hall, Leyden United Methodist Church and in a tractor trailer on Assistant Chairman Bob Snow’s property, which members of the commission said is less than ideal for delicate artifacts.
“The best thing we can do is find a safe, controlled place because (the artifacts) are deteriorating and will continue to do so,” Historical Commission member Thomas Foster said.
“Things are getting lost, things are falling apart,” Rockwood said. “We have had to turn down donations of artifacts because we have no place to put them.”
Should the commission raise enough funds to purchase the former blacksmith’s shop, Rockwood said it would be used as a museum. Having a museum, she added, would provide children at the Pearl Rhodes Elementary School with a local educational experience. It could also provide the Robertson Memorial Library with extra space to store books, Rockwood said.
“Ghosts and Gravestones” could put the Historical Commission one step closer to its goal while keeping the town’s history alive.
“We hope the results of all our efforts end up with a museum for the town,” she said. “We’re doing this for the town.”
Since Leyden no longer holds Old Home Days, JoAnn Helbig added that the event will act as a great substitute to bring the community together.
The event will be held rain or shine. Attendees are encouraged to bring umbrellas, sturdy shoes and flashlights. While registration is not required, guests are encouraged to reserve a seat on the hay wagon in advance by calling Ginny Rockwood at 413-774-2694 or by emailing her at wings@mtdata.com.