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You meet the most interesting people at the cemetery

By PAMELA HODGDON
Showcase Correspondent

DOVER -- Meet Christine Otis Baker, who at three-months-old was carried away by Abenaki Indians in the Cochecho Massacre of 1689.

The Indians fled to Canada, where nuns in Quebec later raised her. Forty-five years later, she returned to the town of her birth and opened a house of public entertainment in Tuttle Square.

You'll hear the words of Baker and others recapture what life was like in times past in "Grave Yarns: The Cemetery Revealed." More than 60 noted and notorious Dover citizens will come to life beside their tombstones in a unique and one-of-a-kind tour in Pine Hill Cemetery.

"Grave Yarns: The Cemetery Revealed" will take place over two weekends, Sept. 18 - 19, and Sept. 25 - 26. The tours will take place on the pathways of Dover's oldest public burying ground, which dates back to the early 1700s.

From Dover's two New Hampshire governors, to the woman engaged to John Wilkes Booth, to famous sea captains and leaders of industry, "Grave Yarns" is a must see for history buffs and curious alike.

"We have everybody from the very religious Rev. Jeremiah Cushing, who was the minister of the First Parish Church for 52-years in the 1700s to the first man hanged in Dover for murder," said Cathy Beaudoin, who wrote all the scripts for the 21 different stops in the cemetery.

"Elisha Thomas was the convicted murderer hanged in Dover," said Beaudoin. "The murder didn't actually happened in Dover, but since Dover was the county seat at the time, he was hanged here."

As history has it, Thomas got in a fight in a bar and stabbed another man. "Back in 1788, you either murdered someone or you didn't. There were no degrees of manslaughter or accidental homicide."

Beaudoin, Dover Public Library director, is part of the "Grave Yarns" production team. "There are four of us in charge of recruiting actors and putting every aspect of this together. "Grave Yarns" is sponsored by the Dover Historical Society and Dover Main Street, in conjunction with the City's Cemetery Board.

Last July, the production team started recruiting actors, tour guides, costumers, script consultants, director's assistants, graphic artists, history buffs, and behind-the-scenes-helpers.

Each actor will re-enact his or her character and deliver a two-to-three-minute story or monologue to each touring group every 15-minutes. Some of the stops will have one character, some two, and others as many as five.

One of the actors is this year's Citizen of the Year, Bob Marston, who took over the role of Jonathon Sawyer, founder of the Sawyer Woolen Mills. Marston said that he picked Jonathon Sawyer because he wanted to be by himself. "It's not that I didn't want to want to share the stage - I didn't want to foul up anybody else's lines. The thing about a guy like Jonathon Sawyer is that I can say what I want and not stick to a particular script because I don't have to interact with anybody."

Marston, who is a member of the Dover Historical Society, said that the society has been doing a heritage walk for the last 25-years and this fall "Grave Yarns" is taking the place of the annual walk.

"I have taken part in every one of these walks and this is just another continuation," said Marston about the cemetery tours."

"I know who Jonathan Sawyer was and a bit about the mills. In fact, I can remember when the mills were still running," added Marston, who is 81-years-old.

"Grave Yarns" came about as a result of last spring's "Factory Revealed" tours through the Cochecho Millworks complex.

"The same people in this production team put together the factory tours," Beaudoin said. "It was so successful - we did 81 tours and everyone of them sold out. People were clamoring at the door for tickets."

"Since there was so such a good response to the factory tours and it was so successful in raising money for Dover Main Street, we thought: 'What else can we reveal?'"

So far, there have been over 300 tickets sold for "Grave Yarns" and Beaudoin anticipates the cemetery tours would be just as successful as the factory tours.

Working along with Beaudoin in the production team, Debra Morgan, executive director of Dover Main Street said that the factory tours raised about $14,000.

"We are expecting a similar response for "Grave Yarns," said Morgan. "Because it is an outside event some people are waiting to buy tickets to see what the weather will be."

The money raised from "Grave Yarns" will help Dover Main Street with their downtown revitalization activities, such as the upkeep of the flower barrels and historical markers, gift certificate program, working with existing business, as well as trying to bring in new businesses.

Morgan said that "Grave Yarns" would most likely not be revealed again next year. "We kind of like the idea of revealing something different every year. Dover has a long history, so we are lucky that there are still quite a few things that can be shown."

"Grave Yarns" is something that the whole family can enjoy. "It's appropriate for children. It's not a scary tour - nobody is popping out and yelling 'BOO,' and it's not at night," added Beaudoin

Pine Hill Cemetery is one of the most scenic spots in Dover, especially in the fall with the foliage turning. The cemetery tours will run on the quarter hour from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., rain or shine, on Sat. and Sun., Sept. 18-19 and 25-26. Groups will depart with a tour guide, every 15-minutes from the Ricker Memorial Chapel at the cemetery. Each tour will last 90-minutes. Tickets are $10 per person and $5 for children under 12-years of age.

Advanced tickets may be purchased at the Dover Public Library or by calling the library at 603-516-6050. Tickets for any unfilled tours will be at the registration table in the cemetery on each day of the tours.

Parking is in the Care Pharmacy/Cleary's Cleaners lot. There will be a drop-off point for passengers at the cemetery's entrance and limited handicapped parking is available at the chapel. Wear comfortable shoes and participants are asked to arrive 10-15 minutes before their tour is scheduled to start.

Advance ticket purchases for "Grave Yarns: The Cemetery Revealed" are highly recommended as each tour does have a limited capacity.

[original article]

Posted by thinkum at September 16, 2004 09:41 PM