Cemetery tours in Pine Plains offer a trip through time

PINE PLAINS — Tours of Evergreen Cemetery will return to Pine Plains Oct. 23 and 24. Jointly organized by the Little Nine Partners Historical Society and the Pine Plains Library, the tours feature individuals portraying deceased inhabitants of the cemetery.

As guests wind their way through the gravestones, they’ll be greeted by all sorts of characters from Pine Plains’ past. They’ll meet a woman who once ran the Barton Boarding House, one of the grand Victorian hotels that lined Millerton’s Main Street. The Barton was destroyed in the great fire of 1891.

There’s also a visit from the founder of the Harris Scythe Works, an early member of the Hammertown iron industry. In the late 1700s, Joseph Harris learned the trade of scythe-making from a man he enslaved. His nephew, John Harris, followed suit, and opened his own scythe works in 1783.

As ore and steel flowed through the region, the family business flourished. At its peak in 1850, Harris Scythe Works was producing 18,000 scythes a year, according to the Little Nine Partners Historical Society.

Revolutionary War soldiers, ministers and wayward youths will also appear in this year’s tours, telling their stories through conversation, soliloquy and song.

Evergreen Cemetery dates to the early 1800s and holds the graves of many of the area’s esteemed and intriguing residents. Historical Society President Dyan Wapnick said Pine Plains residents often suggest local ancestors as subjects for the tours. She also spends time scouring FindAGrave.com for biographical information about those buried there.

“People are adding to it all the time,” Wapnick said. “It’s one of my main sources for biographical information and photos.”

This will be the ninth consecutive year the historical society has organized the cemetery tours. Wapnick credits two of her Pine Plains neighbors, Robert Lyons and Lenora Champagne, with reviving the cemetery tours after the previous organizers disbanded. The task of finding subjects, writing scripts, and directing the tours is largely split between the three of them. Stissing Theatre Guild contributes costuming help. “It’s very much a community event,” Wapnick said. “Our goal is to bring the history of Pine Plains to the community in a fun way.”

Groups will depart every half hour, starting at 6 p.m. Adult tickets are $20, and just $10 for seniors and students. Kids under 5 are free. They’re available for purchase online. The tour begins at 19 Maple St., next door to The Pines.

And while the tour isn’t designed to be scary, the event organizers note that “being in an old cemetery at night could be scary for some people. Also, Evergreen Cemetery has resident buzzards who fly home here to roost every evening, which could be either unsettling or cool depending on your point of view.”