Shed light on Columbia’s history with moonlight cemetery tours

Much of Columbia’s intriguing history is buried – in Elmwood Cemetery.

Folks can learn about some of that buried history on the second Thursday of each month, beginning tonight through September on the “The Secrets from the Grave” and “The Moonlight Cemetery” tours offered by Historic Columbia.

Tour guides share stories spanning 160 years, some etched in stone on the markers and headstones found within Elmwood Cemetery’s acres of carefully planned grounds.

“Thousands of commuters drive past Elmwood Cemetery every day without realizing what a historic treasure it is,” said James Quint, Historic Columbia’s director of education.

Among the facts that may be included on the tours:

▪ Elmwood was not the first suggested name for the cemetery. Among other options were Rose Vale, Mt. Holly, Orange Grove, Riverdale, Fair View, and Palmetto.

▪ There are more than 25,000 people buried in the cemetery.

▪ Lt. General James Dozier was buried in here in 1974; he received Medal of Honor in World War II.

▪ Professional baseball player Walter “Kirby” Higbe, a starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Phillies, Brooklyn Dodgers and N.Y. Giants from 1937-50, also is buried here.

“The tours of Elmwood Cemetery are remarkable experience in both the natural beauty of the grounds and the in the centuries of stories represented in this resting place,” said Dickson Monk, Historic Columbia director of communications. “This year we will be unveiling new stories never before told that you won’t want to miss.”

The “Secrets from the Grave” tour starts before dark at 7:30 p.m. to allow folks to study the symbols found on markers and headstones in the cemetery.

“Moonlight Cemetery Tours” at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. discuss the lives, burials, cemetery plots, and tombstones of families and notable citizens from Columbia’s 19th and 20th centuries.

Tickets are $12 for non-member adults, $6 for non-member youth (17 and under), $8 for Historic Columbia member adults and $4 for Historic Columbia member youth. Tickets may be purchased online at historiccolumbia.org, by emailingreservations@historiccolumbia.org, or by phone at 803.252.1770 ext. 23.

Lezlie Patterson, Special to Go Columbia

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Shed light on Columbia’s history with moonlight cemetery tours."