The lantern tour of West Cemetery returns

Posted By: Staff September 14, 2023

Get ready, folks, the popular The West Cemetery Lantern Tour is returning on Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30!

The tour times are 6 p.m., 6:20 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:20 p.m., 7:40 p.m. and 8 p.m. The suggested donation is $10. For those that prefer the daylight, the 6 p.m. tour is the one for you.

Reservations are required and can be made online via Sign Up Genius, which can be accessed by clicking here.

Another way to reserve your spot is emailing president@bristolhistoricalsociety.org.

The rain date for both days is Oct. 1. In the event of rain, those who have signed up will be notified by email, and the change will be posted to the Bristol Historical Society webpage and Facebook page.

For the uninitiated, the cemetery tour is a guided walk through West Cemetery. Costumed actors will portray some of the cemetery’s notable residents.

West Cemetery was purchased April 3, 1837, for $189. It was originally three acres and 24 rods. The original land is the southeast section of the current cemetery. Mrs. Polly D. Franklin Andrews has the distinction of being the first person buried in West Cemetery. The date was Nov. 22, 1836, Thanksgiving Day.

The event is sponsored by the Bristol Cemetery Commission and the Bristol Historical Society.

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