By Laura Rauschert Millar
Thinking of adding a tour of one of Atlanta’s many haunted houses this year? For those of you who may want to add an “enlightened” experience to your typical ghoulish pursuits during the month of October, our city of Atlanta presents a unique opportunity in a wonderful setting.
The esthetically beautiful gem, Oakland Cemetery, offers specialized nighttime Halloween tours. “Capturing the Spirit of Oakland” is an event held at this historically significant cemetery, offering tours throughout the year. For four nights at the end of the month, some of Oakland’s most notorious “residents” come alive for tourists in this candlelit evening-only event. Costumed actors regale visitors with first-hand accounts of some of Atlanta’s most interesting characters from its colorful past. This year’s “participants” are kept under mummy-like wraps until the week of the event, but past performances have included author, Margaret Mitchell, social justice champion, Rhoda Kauffman, and world-renowned “Lion of Atlanta” sculptor, T.M. Brady.
This past week I had the pleasure of interviewing Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator, Mary Woodlan, and Communications Director, Ashley Cissel. Ms. Cissel, a historic preservationist, gave me a private tour and quickly picked up on the fact that she was in the midst of a fellow history nerd. She eagerly supplied me with priceless stories as we drove in our golf cart over the rumpled brick paths and under the graceful, dipping tree branches. Beautifully landscaped, Oakland has an active foundation and master plan for continued restoration and preservation of this park-like oasis. Charged with a daunting financial undertaking, Oakland serves Atlanta through their mission statement of striving to “partner with the City of Atlanta to preserve, restore, enhance, and share Oakland Cemetery with the public as an important cultural resource and an island of tranquility in the heart of the city.”
Surrounded on all sides by cement and traffic, I was struck by the irony represented of the final resting places juxtaposed with constant movement and noise just beyond the walls. The Marta trains rattled loudly over the tracks, truck horns were blaring in the distance, and the towering Marriott Marquis was ever visible off toward the west.
However, there is an eerie quiet and calm to this haven on a hill overlooking the sprawling metropolis. Finality mixed with fascinating history envelopes you wherever your eye turns. In one section, over 6,000 confederate soldiers are buried. On another, a myriad of unmarked and unremembered “potters field” patrons are interred – the poorest of the poor. The pauper’s section is just a stone’s throw from grandiose structures such as the mausoleum of King Plow Company’s founder, Clyde King. This spectacular stone mausoleum was a loving tribute erected in remembrance of Mr. King’s wife. Due to city ordinances, and unable to grant the wife he loved her dying request to be buried in her private garden behind her house, the ever-resourceful Mr. King had a replica of their palatial estate rebuilt at Oakland. The final resting place of the poor of “potters field” and the magnificent tribute of a man’s love for his wife are both equally cared for and protected by the mission, foundation, and staff of Oakland Cemetery.
At the close of my time at Oakland, I asked Woodlan if she’d experienced any “supernatural” or “hair raising” encounters during her many years working at Oakland. She paused — thinking for a moment — and I felt certain I was about to hear something particularly bone chilling to write and report on. Instead, she politely told me that she chooses not to delve too much into those types of disclosures and instead would like to share another story. She shared with me that at Oakland, they subscribe to an old saying: They believe that we actually die three deaths. The first death is when our physical body gives up and shuts down. The second death is when we are interred into the ground, and the third and final death occurs the last time someone speaks our name. At Oakland, they are committed to preserving and remembering all who have graced this lovely hill.
This Halloween, why not skip the fake and cardboard coffins, screaming, red dye-dripping ghouls, and drunken Elviras? Instead, why not alter your perspective a bit and take a stroll down the paths at Oakland? It is sure to give you a fair and beautiful evening, if not put some “natural” in your “supernatural”. It may even give you some “out of the box” perspective this season.
Oakland Cemetery:
http://historic-oakland.ticketleap.com/2012-halloween-tours/#view=list
Capturing the Spirit” guided Halloween tours are Thursday – Sunday, October 25-28, 2012. Tickets: Adults: $20.00 and available online.