Grey Towers Hosting Laurel Hill Burial Ground Walk

Get to know Milford’s historic past as Grey Towers Heritage Association welcomes the public to join its annual walking tour of the Laurel Hill Burial Ground at Grey Towers on Saturday, October 4 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Visitors will have the unique opportunity to walk the historic burial ground and stop at 12 designated gravesites at which actors portraying the interred will provide first-person narrative 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. Guests will also enjoy light refreshments, including typical funeral biscuits wrapped in parchment paper.

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

Actors from 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 and gardens on the 102 acres of the Grey Towers National Historical Site. Guests may also visit the famed Gifford Pinchot ancestral home for a nominal fee,” adds Will Voelkel of GTHA.

Admission to the event is $20 for members, $25 for non-members, and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or at the door. This event 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/events