A Stroll Through Time

Every year, on the first Saturday night in October, the old city cemetery here in Gallatin comes alive for one night only. A bold sign at the gate declares this elegant and mysterious place off limits after dark. But on this magical evening that sign is ignored, and we are invited in by the soft glow of paper lanterns lit by the spirits themselves.

We meet about a half-dozen spirits every year, each with a poignant story to tell. They wait for us at their final resting place, embracing a rare opportunity to be more than just a name carved into a stone.Their stories resonate with life and love and laughter and loss. They remind us that once, they were just like us. And that one day, we too will be a forgotten name carved into a crumbling stone.

It seems to me that every year, the weather turns cold in Gallatin just in time for the cemetery tour. The wind kicks up and the clouds hang thick and you can feel the spirits listening. Call it coincidence if you like, but I think they want us to know they are there.

Years ago, I lived in an apartment right in front of this old cemetery. People used to ask me all the time if it was creepy to be so close to all those dead people. Maybe it should have been, but it wasn't. I was young and newly divorced. My life was in turmoil in many different ways. It was late May when I moved into that apartment, and there were many nights that summer when I crossed my back yard in bare feet and a nightshirt to stroll through the cemetery in the dark, even though it was supposed to be off limits and is within a stone's throw of a not-so-great part of town. But it was the one place in the world where I could go to find peace. No one would find me there, I knew. I could turn off everything else and clear my mind. That place is where my love of cemeteries was born.

These images are from the Gallatin Cemetery Tour in 2010. Forgive the poor quality! In the two tours since this one, I have never been able to get a picture worth posting. They never turn out well on tour night. Perhaps the spirits would rather be heard than seen.

 

 

In the weeks to come, I will be posting more pictures and stories about some of my favorite cemeteries. Come back and have a look! I hope you'll learn to love and appreciate them the way I do. Its amazing what they can tell us about the past.