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
12th 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
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.
Having to get permission from the
factions of authority helped me refine my idea of what a cemetery stroll in Indianola , MS
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 6th
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.
