As part of its mission of preserving history, promoting patriotism and helping education, Hattiesburg’s Twentieth Star Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution will hold the third “If Tombstones Could Talk” event, where participants can visit the graves of some of the Hub City’s most prominent and influential past settlers to learn their stories.
The event will be held from 2-4 p.m. March 27 at Oaklawn Cemetery on Hardy Street in Hattiesburg, with tours at 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. During the event, various current residents will tell the story of those settlers through character reenactments. Founded in 1887, Oaklawn Cemetery is the oldest in the city.
“This is one of the fundraising efforts, and that money goes toward a school here in Hattiesburg for students who are having difficulty being in the regular classroom,” said DAR member Mary Dryden, who is co-chair of the event along with regent Jutta White. “There are other programs that are done throughout the year with students that write about the Constitution and learn about history.
“So this is just to help create awareness in the community of some of the history. People may not be familiar with that cemetery; these are some of the first people who settled here in Hattiesburg who are buried there. And their stories are quite interesting, and that’s what motivates us to do it – to share that information and increase awareness of history in our community.”
Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased the day of the event. Parking and registration will be in the parking lot of the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County, adjacent to Oaklawn Cemetery.
The following is a list of stories that will be told during the tours, along with the name of the storyteller.
- Carrie Cochran Askew, as told by Dryden. Askew was a key figure in the women’s suffrage movement.
- Oliver Hazzard Perry Jones Jr., as told by Mayor Toby Barker. Jones was Hattiesburg’s first mayor.
- Mike (Mack) Doherty, as told by Doug McLelland. Doherty was an Irish police officer and an avid fight fan who was instrumental in recruiting the Sullivan-Kilrain fight in Hattiesburg. He also built the ring for the fight.
- Sam Hall, as told by Patty Hall and Libby Carroll. Hall holds the distinction of being the only Hattiesburg High School athlete to letter in all sports offered.
- Ida Chambers Polk, as told by Lynn Jones Meador.
- Walton Price Meador, as told by Dean Meador. Walton Price Meador is the namesake of the Meador Homestead in Hattiesburg.
- James Albert Arledge, as told by Tim Phalen.
- Eugene Benjamin Caperton, as told by Carter Carroll, president of Hattiesburg City Council.
- Rufus Conway Bradley, as told by Patty Turner as his widow.
“We’ll do it as an actor,” Dryden said. “We’ll have a script, and we will portray that person or the person telling about that person, who is the family member.
“So you learn the story of that person.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “If Tombstones Could Talk” was canceled last year. However, now that social events are more or less in full swing these days, Dryden feels confident this year’s version will be well-received.
“There were a hundred people the first time, and then there were fifty the second time,” she said. “I’m thinking (we’ll have a good turnout), and we’ll have signs up in the cemetery on Saturday.
“With all those people coming downtown for Hubfest, and possibly passing by there, (I think we’ll have a good showing.”
