On Halloween afternoon, Memphians can get a little closer to the past — and perhaps the paranormal — during Shadows of the Past, a 90-minute guided tour through Elmwood Cemetery.
The tour invites the morbidly curious to explore Victorian cemetery symbolism, hear stories from Memphis’ devastating yellow fever epidemics, and discover the lives of some of the city’s most fascinating residents. “The Shadows of the Past Tour is timed for the thinning of the veil between the world of the living and the dead — or so many cultures have believed over time,” says Kim Bearden, executive director of Elmwood Cemetery.
Among the stops are No Man’s Land, the burial site of 1,500 yellow fever victims; the graves of two madams, including one known as the Mary Magdalene of Memphis; and the resting places of musicians, a notorious politician, and the South’s first Black millionaire. Visitors will also see the cenotaph of a man who disappeared in 1899.
The tour explores the stories behind the cemetery’s elaborate monuments, too. Obelisks, urns, bronze statues, and other Victorian-era memorials reveal how 19th-century Memphians used symbolism to honor their dead.
The city’s yellow fever epidemics offer a particularly poignant chapter. Visitors will learn about Dr. R.H. Tate, one of Memphis’ earliest Black physicians, who had been born enslaved and later returned to the South to help fight the disease. He died of yellow fever roughly two weeks after arriving in Memphis. The tour also visits the Howard Association lot and memorial, where more than two dozen physicians who came from across the country to treat victims are buried.
And what would a Halloween cemetery tour be without a little mystery? Asked whether she has ever seen a ghost, Bearden says she gets that question frequently — and promises to address it during the tour. No spoilers.
Still, the cemetery’s purpose extends beyond the spooky season. Elmwood remains an active cemetery and place of remembrance, and tours help raise funds for its upkeep. “There’s a magic to it,” Bearden says of visiting a cemetery, describing a stirring mix of sadness, love, melancholy, and sentimentality.
For those ready to experience Memphis history among towering trees and weathered headstones, Bearden offers two simple recommendations: comfortable walking shoes and a sense of wonder.
SHADOWS OF THE PAST TOUR, ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY ST., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 3 P.M.
