‘Voices from the Grave’ cemetery tour explores town’s haunted past

The Old Chapel Hill Cemetery will come alive as the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill gets ready for the second annual “Voices from the Grave” Haunted Cemetery Tour.

This year the society expanded the tour by adding a second night of shows and a children’s version called the Children’s Haunted Cemetery Tour.

The event is a fundraiser for the Preservation Society, which works to preserve the town’s history and landmarks, and is a chance to teach the Chapel Hill community about the cemetery’s history.

“It’s a great way to bring people in and introduce them to the famous people in there,” said Ernest Dollar, the preservation society’s director.

Among the famous people who were laid to rest in the cemetery is Bertha Colton Williams, wife of the famed UNC professor Horace Williams, who taught at the University from 1890 to 1940.

Williams was known for his unusual form of teaching, which was based on questioning rather than lecturing.

This year Betty Whitehead will bring Bertha Williams to life.

“I was involved last year as Rachel Crook and enjoyed the opportunity,” Whitehead said. “When director John Paul Middlesworth asked me to do it again, I said I would for sure.”

Whitehead said she knew nothing about her character prior to her role.

“She was an artist, and met Horace in New York, or thereabout,” she said. “When she married, she came down here in 1891 to North Carolina.”

Although Bertha Williams died well before Horace, they are buried side by side in the cemetery.

“We’re doing a scene between the two of us,” Whitehead said. “This gives us an opportunity to give the history of the characters and their relationship — who they were, how they got together, what their life was like together until her death.”

The characters’ lives were pieced together by biographer and historian Valerie Yow, who crafted monologues from original writings and correspondences.

“I try to let the person speak by using quotations from letters and diaries so that we know they are speaking from their heart,” Yow said. “It’s an opportunity to give these individuals a chance to speak to us.”

For the children’s tour, the young actors researched and wrote the monologues for their characters.

“We wanted to engage these kids in history so that the people who come see it will see history presented in a new and exciting way,” Dollar said.

Dollar said he is happy a children’s version will be included in the program this year.

The main tour is not recommended for those younger than 12, so the new show will give them a chance to participate.

“Last year when we had the tour, we talked to a lot of people who said, ‘My kids would love this,’” he said. “What better way to engage young folks in history than to make the history come alive?”

Last year, the event sold out. Dollar said this year, people started calling in August looking for tickets.

“There is something about cemeteries that appeals to so many people,” Dollar said. “When you start talking about the cemetery, there’s a little glimmer that pops up in people’s eyes.”

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