Grey Towers to hold burial ground walk

Grey Towers Heritage Association in historic Milford welcomes the public to join its annual burial ground walk at Laurel Hill Burial Ground on Saturday, October 5 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Visitors will have the opportunity to walk the burial ground and stop at 12 designated gravesites, at which actors portraying the interred will provide brief life stories of residents buried from the 1830s to the 1920s. Visitors will also be greeted by Mourning Mary and her friends as they talk about Victorian funeral customs and superstitions and share light refreshments, including typical funeral biscuits wrapped in parchment paper.

“It’s an intriguing and fun way to bring history to life,” explained Don Allen, Grey Towers Heritage Association board member and event director. “Our guests learn about early settlers of Milford and the surrounding area in a very personal and dynamic way.”

Actors from Jeffrey Stocker’s American Readers Theater, caped and dressed in black, assume the roles of the interred and tell Milford’s founding families’ stories of everyday life in the 1700s and 1800s: their joys, losses and tragedies.

Also revealed are the funereal sources of famous expressions such as “saved by the bell.”

“It’s a great way to usher in Halloween and All Souls Day, enjoy the fall foliage, Jack-o-lanterns and gardens on the 102 acres of the Grey Towers National Historical Site, and even visit the famed Gifford Pinchot mansion,” added Eileen Smith, executive director of Grey Towers Heritage Association.

Admission to the event is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or at the door. This program is not advised for children under 13. The walk is on uneven ground, so please wear comfortable shoes.

For more information and tickets, visit greytowers.org.