Cemetery strolls in Chattanooga, Cleveland - Oct. 25-26

photo Brady Renner portrays Thomas Cate in last year's Walking Tour of the Historic Fort Hill Cemetery in Cleveland, Tenn.

Historic re-enactors will raise the ghosts of long-gone citizens in two cemetery strolls this weekend.

• Chattanooga: The Forest Hills Cemetery History Stroll will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the St. Elmo site, 4016 Tennessee Ave. Biographies of featured personalities will be presented by volunteers dressed in costumes authentic to the era.

Forest Hills houses the gravesites of Civil War officers, entertainers and industrialists, among hundreds of others. But more than a burial ground, it is considered a monument of history and art, with historical periods evident in the gravestones and monuments offering examples of Gothic, Victorian and modern art styles.

Admission for the stroll is free. Donations will be accepted.

For more information, call 423-821-4161 or visit www.foresthillscemetery.net.

• Cleveland: Lee University and the Bradley County Historical and Genealogical Society will present the eighth annual Walking Tour of the Historic Fort Hill Cemetery starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. The last tour will begin at 6 p.m.

Tours will be led by Lee University history majors and volunteers who will introduce visitors to several 19th-century residents who are buried in the historic section of Fort Hill. Students and local performers dressed in period costume will bring these early residents to life.

This year's historical characters include William H. and Adelaide Foute Craigmiles, James S. and Frances Childress Hancock, 2nd Lt. Robert B. and Rachel Young Hunter, Lilburn H. and Eliza B. Green Reeder, John S. Blackburn Sr. and John S. Blackburn Jr., Cpl. Philip Donahue, Col. Spencer B. and Nannie Boyd, Edwin S. and Anna Plummer Delany and Cpl. James Robert and Kezziarh Collins.

Cost is $5 per person. Proceeds beyond costs of producing the event are donated to the Bill Snell Scholarship Fund at Lee University.

Parking is available at the Boys and Girls Club, 385 Third St. SW, Cleveland, Tenn., and a van will shuttle guests to and from the tour site.

For more information, contact Lee's Department of History, Political Science & Humanities at 423-614-8137.

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