City of Oxford, Lane Libraries lead cemetery tours for fourth year
“I think it’s really great to celebrate and talk about the people and the humans who have made Oxford what it is today over the years.”
The City of Oxford led tours of its public cemeteries for the fourth year in a row this season in partnership with Lane Libraries at both Woodside Cemetery and the Oxford Cemetery on Oxford Millville Road.
City Councilor Alex French said she approached the Oxford Lane Library with the idea because she used to walk around the cemeteries with a friend and it “struck me how many people are buried here that we don’t know or don’t talk about.”
“There are some names on headstones here that you see, and they’re (on) buildings on Miami (University’s) campus, or they’re notable Oxford family names, but there are so many people we don’t know that we really wanted to talk about,” French said.
Brad Spurlock, manager of the Smith Library of Regional History, said when French pitched the idea, he thought, “what better way of talking about local history than talking about individual people and their contributions to the Oxford community over history?”
The walks are scheduled each year with the help of Enjoy Oxford, the Oxford Parks and Recreation Department and the Historic and Architecture Preservation Commission. French said she’s been leading guests around Oxford Cemetery for the past four years, but last year was the first time she led a tour at Woodside Cemetery, as well.
During the tour, French and Spurlock lead attendees on the path through the cemetery, stopping at flagged headstones with notable names while reading off facts about their lives and their impact on the community. In the past, French said there was a historian who joined them and was able to mention some interesting facts, as well as some family members of those featured on the tour.
“I think it’s really great to celebrate and talk about the people and the humans who have made Oxford what it is today over the years,” French said. “I just appreciate everybody who’s been willing to go with my idea and has made it happen, and the community’s reception to it, as well. It’s been really great to see how many people are enthusiastic about learning more.”
This month, French and Spurlock led tours at the Oxford Cemetery on Oct. 3 and Oct. 17, teaching attendees about notable names like the McCullough family and Weeb Ewbank, as well as notable veterans, doctors and civil servants.
The next free tour will be on Nov. 7, at the Oxford Cemetery at 4385 Millville Oxford Road beginning at 10:30 a.m. Anyone interested in attending may visit the calendar on the Oxford Parks and Recreation website.
The City of Oxford led tours of its public cemeteries for the fourth year in a row this season in partnership with Lane Libraries at both Woodside Cemetery and the Oxford Cemetery on Oxford Millville Road. Two tours were led at the Oxford Cemetery on Oct. 17, teaching attendees about notable names like the McCullough family and Weeb Ewbank, as well as notable veterans, doctors and civil servants. Photos by Katelyn Aluise.
