Voices of Elmwood will return to Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery starting September 19, featuring a few changes this year — most notably that several of the stories will focus on people buried in the Potter’s Field area.
The event is put on through a partnership between the Owensboro Museum of Science and History and Daviess County Public Library, while Carolyn Greer is directing the series.
Attendees are taken on a trailer ride throughout the cemetery, making stops to listen to local actors in period costumes presenting the stories of selected individuals buried there. Trailer guides will provide additional historical information after each performance.
OMSH Executive Director Kathy Olson said there will only be eight stories told this year rather than the typical 10. That’s primarily due to the increased focus on the scenes in Potter’s Field, she said.
Potter’s Field, which is a pauper’s cemetery and is also called City Cemetery, spans 3.78 acres and is adjacent to the east side of Elmwood Cemetery.
According to a plaque in Potter’s Field, the burial ground served from 1873-2000 “as the final resting place for gamblers down on their luck, average citizens without money for graves and others who died far from home with no one to claim them. No one is sure how many men, women and children are buried here. It is believed they number nearly 1,000.”
Olson said they have researched stories over the years of individuals buried in Potter’s Field, but they decided this was the year to provide more context about the area.
“This year we have five people that are coming forward and telling bits of their story,” she said. “They’re all just a little bit different, but the sad fact is that all of them, for one reason or another, are buried without any sort of recognition.”
Olson noted one of the stories involves a child who is buried in Potter’s Field but the rest of her family is buried at Elmwood.
“She died young. We can only speculate that the parents had financial difficulties. That just really speaks to how people’s circumstances could change at the drop of a hat,” Olson said.
Olson said the five actors in Potter’s Field will be standing near one another. While they’ll be telling their own stories, they’ll be talking to one another.
Olson also noted the general route that the tractors and wagons will travel is also slightly different from previous years, providing our patrons with another view of Elmwood Cemetery.
Performance dates are September 19-21 and 26-28 as well as October 3-5. Performances begin at 6 p.m. each evening, with the last wagon leaving at 9 p.m. each night. Trailer rides will leave every thirty minutes and stop for each actor’s presentation. Each trailer features bench seating, with back support.
Tent shows, designed for larger groups or patrons preferring not to ride in the wagons, will be offered on the final three performance nights at 6 p.m. in lieu of the first trailer ride.
The tours last approximately 75 minutes and are not recommended for children under 12 years of age. Patrons are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes prior to their wagon’s departure time or tent show performance.
Elmwood Cemetery is located at 1300 Old Hartford Road, and parking is available on site.
Tickets are $25 (plus fees) per person for both the trailer and tent shows. Tickets are on sale now at owensborotickets.com. Group sales of 10 or more will receive a 10% discount. For questions, call the museum at 270-687-2732.
