How to go
What: Fantastic Ferncliff in the Fall
Where: Ferncliff Cemetery
When: 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
Admission: No cost; reservations required
More info: 937-322-3491 or www.ferncliffcemetery.org
Right out in the open, among colorful fall foliage and well-maintained grounds of Ferncliff Cemetery, lies Springfield history.
The public can examine it for free during Sunday’s 13th Annual Fantastic Ferncliff in the Fall event at Ferncliff Cemetery and Arboretum, 501 W. McCreight Ave.
The 1 1/2-hour tours on trolleys will cover 50 different types of trees, historic monuments and burial sites. Rain or shine, tours are slated for 10 a.m.-noon, noon-1:30 p.m., 1:30-3 p.m., 3-4:30 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m. Reservations are required and limited to the first 350 registrants.
The annual fall tours have been a success since their beginning in 2003, said Ferncliff Cemetery and Arboretum CEO Stan Stitler.
“We’re very pleased getting people involved in our history and to see the grounds and the trees,” he said. “Every year we discover more and more history.”
Ferncliff, which sits on 70 acres, was opened in 1863.
The tours will be conducted by two tour guides — local historian Ski Schanher and Doug Keister, a cemetery and symbolism expert and author.
Schanher has been with the tour since its beginning and will give insight into the cemetery’s history and facts on notable local figures buried there, such as boxing champion Davey Moore, former Ohio governor Asa Bushnell and theatrical manager Gus Sun.
California-based Keister returns for a second consecutive year to discuss the significance of tombstone symbols. He’s written 44 books, most on historical architecture and cemeteries and their historical significance.
“If you want to study architecture, study a cemetery,” said Keister. “I’ve always been a curious person, and you can read a lot about a person from their tombstone.
“It shows you another side of life, kind of a backstage pass to understanding history and a better education of the power of leaving your name somewhere,” he added.
Many grave sites, especially older ones, had symbols. Keister said that was partially because the literacy rate wasn’t high back then. However, they can give clues about the past and the person buried there.
Think of Keister as something of an Indiana Jones of the cemetery.
On last year’s tour, Keister discovered a memorial made of zinc, a rare white bronze alternative to marble or granite. It’s unusual to find just one, and he thinks there may be others, manufactured between the late 19th and early 20th centuries on the grounds.
Keister said Ferncliff is modeled on the famed Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where numerous poets and performers are interred.
He gives lectures at numerous famous cemeteries such as the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in New York, but finds Ferncliff unique in its own way.
“It’s a beautiful little cemetery for a small town,”Keister said. “I was impressed how well-maintained it is. It’s been manned really well.”
The day will also include veterans tributes, including an honor guard and presentation of colors by Marine Corps League Detachment 953. For tour reservations, call 937-322-3491.
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