History's Treasure: 2014

It’s that time again! My favorite project is about to come to fruition, Headstone Stories. If you haven’t heard about it, you must have been sleeping for the past 5 years! Below is an article I wrote for MLA’s publication, Mississippi Libraries in 2012. It succinctly explains what Headstone Stories is, why I wanted to create it and the benefits is has had to my community. Read up and I hope to see many many folks at this year’s Headstone Stories, April 12^th from 10am to noon at the Indianola City Cemetery!

Headstone Stories

Cemeteries are a source of history and education for local communities. Since 2010, the Sunflower County Library System has partnered with the Indianola Academy’s 6^th Grade class to present “Headstone Stories.” Headstone Stories is an academic program that introduces students to archives, primary sources, and historical research, while educating the community about local history.

When I became Public History Coordinator for the Sunflower County Library System I wanted to find ways to engage the community, highlighting local history and primary sources. I felt that creating a cemetery stroll, based on archival materials and research would achieve this. To start this project, first I had to approach my library Director, the Sunflower County Library Board of Trustees, and finally the Indianola City Board of Aldermen. I quickly learned that the concept of a cemetery stroll is not well known. In fact, some seemed to think it was unusual. “Why do I want to walk around in the cemetery on a perfectly good Saturday?” Not everyone is a lover of history. Just the idea seemed impertinent, disrespectful and plain weird. I explained that a cemetery stroll is when a group of people research interred individuals, reconstructing their lifetime and the community around them, then creating a vignette to perform for spectators at the cemetery. I cited two successful examples, the Mississippi Math and Science student’s program, Tales of the Crypt in Columbus, MS and The Storyteller’s program, Stones and Stories in Missoula, MT. Notably, both of these programs utilize primary sources and archives for research.

Having to get permission from the factions of authority helped me refine my idea of what a cemetery stroll in Indianola, MS would consist of and why it was important to create. I did not have a group of people to partner with for the cemetery stroll project, so my explanation was pretty broad. I really wanted this to be an educational project, but received lukewarm interest from the local high school teachers so I approached the local theater group, historical society and Daughter of the American Revolution. Again, the project was unenthusiastically received. Then one day at a parent-teacher conference with my daughter’s 6^th grade teacher, Mrs. Poindexter, we began discussing new ways to engage the students in local history and I suggested a cemetery stroll. She loved the idea and away we went!

I had the blessing of the library system and the city, and a partner, but now what? I have never participated in a cemetery stroll, nor ever studied education. I had no experience, but I did have determination and resources. First, I contacted the city cemetery manager, Mr. McClatchy to help me determine individuals interred in the cemetery that would definitely have information about their lives or family members still living. Then, Mrs. Poindexter and I brainstormed what the overall goal for the students would be. We decided to have the students write a five part research paper documenting the political, economical, social, cultural and being a rural area, agricultural aspects of the interred individual’s time period. I tell the student to think “global to local,” what was going on in the world, the United States, Mississippi, Sunflower County, Indianola and finally your person. Then I determined what materials in the Sunflower County History Room and Archive can be used for research. We scheduled two field trips to the library where the students drew on obituaries, scrapbooks, diaries, microfilm, secondary sources and old Life magazines to reconstruct the time of their person. For two months the students researched their person and then on a Saturday afternoon for two hours performed their vignette as community members strolled through the Indianola City Cemetery.

The response to the 2010 Headstone Stories was encouraging. For months after, members of the community spoke with me about how they thought the project was a great way for the younger generation to learn about their local history and community. Many even gave me suggestions of interred individuals for the next year. I realized that I needed to have a pre-archive visit meeting with the students. In this meeting I would explain what a primary source is and how they were to use them in their research. The second year, the teachers incorporated a personal journal following the five aspects of the research paper and an oral history project before Headstone Stories to introduce the students to the concept of global to local and documenting history. The 2011 year Headstone Stories was even bigger. There were twice as many students, many of whom did genealogical research, the publicity of the event was well received and the attendance of the stroll almost tripled. From this event I learned that the students needed to come to the archives with the general research accomplished and more of a focus on what specific personal information the student needed to research. In addition I discovered that the parents needed to become more involved and have a clearer understanding of what the project was about.

This year both the 6^th grade students and the community know that Headstone Stories is coming up. I have already had calls from around the state from people asking when the event takes place. Teacher, student, and parent meetings are all set. The local theater group has been invited to assist with costuming. The cemetery stroll has become something not irreverent or strange, but a learning experience for students and the community. As the 2012 Headstone Stories project approaches I am excited to receive a new group of students who, typically enough, are just happy to get out of class.

For those who did not have a chance to see our local production of Fiddler on the Roof, you missed out. Sorry, but fortunately for you we have copies of almost every play performed at the Brindley Theater. The Mid-Delta Arts Association has been tantalizing the Delta with quality theater for over thirty-five years. As Mrs. Marie Hemphill states in her book Fevers, Floods and Faith, MDAA “grew out of a program, ‘A Salute to Broadway,’ staged at the American Legion Hut in Indianola by a group of musicians, led by John Brindley.” The theater was later named after Mr. Brindley who is still active in the theater today. Since its inception on October 23, 1978, MDAA has highlighted local talent, while entertaining and educating the community through the arts. The MDAA Collection at the Sunflower County History Room begins with the production of Man of La Mancha in 1981. In an effort to include all productions in the collection, the Sunflower County History Room requests that if anyone has copies of earlier plays they could share, I’d love to make copies. Most of the older recordings are on VHS but starting in 2007, all copies are on DVD. Theater and artistic expression is what sets humans apart, tantalizing the mind and senses, creating an enriching lifetime experience. I thank those industrious individuals at MDAA for giving their time and energy with the arts, honestly, if I had to choose, theater or the movies, I’d go theater every time!

Great Characters!