Beat cabin-fever and celebrate Halloween with a guided tour of Durham’s famous Old Maplewood Cemetery. Preservation Durham tour guides will take small groups around the cemetery pausing here and there to tell stories of triumph and tragedy, joy and sorrow, wealth and poverty, lives long and short. We will talk about war, disease, and maybe even a murder mystery. Learn about funerary traditions and grave art and architecture. All this in what is perhaps Durham’s loveliest urban open space.

Group:

Groups are limited to 15 people per group | Social distancing will be practiced | All persons must bring & wear their own face masks

Tickets:

Non-members: $15.06 (incl. fees & sales tax)

PD members: Free!

RSVP online at https://maplewoodcemeterywalks.eventbrite.com

Arrival:

Arrive on time! |  Tours are 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours| Look for the Preservation Durham Banner on Kent Street

Topic:

Tour goers will learn about Durham history, Durham people of all walks of life, tombstones and grave architecture.

Attire:

Facial masks are mandatory during the tour. Wear comfortable, sensible walking shoes and clothing.

Facilities:

We will provide cold bottled water and hand sanitizer, but there are no bathroom facilities.

Maplewood Cemetery is perhaps the only major place intimately involved with the City of Durham that has survived essentially intact from Durham’s earliest days to the present.

Maplewood was created in 1872 as Durham’s very first public amenity. The cemetery is Durham’s very first public space and its very first planned space. It is a garden of memories and our oldest repository of public art. In Maplewood are buried captains of industry, famous educators, great philanthropists, and ordinary people. In the cemetery are reposed the origins of many Durham legends and icons. There are stories of war and disease and the struggle against both. There are stories of love and of prejudice, of triumph and tragedy. Learn about funerary customs and grave architecture. Enjoy the peace and solemnity of one of the city’s great historic treasures.