CCPA To Host 2021 Cemetery Tour

Friday, October 22 and Saturday, October 23

Walking tours of Urbana’s Oak Dale Cemetery will be held Friday, October 22 and Saturday, October 23. Submitted photos.

From Urbana Daily Citizen

Did you know that a family in Urbana worked to build a park on the graveyard at Ward and Kenton Streets?

Or that upon one resident’s death, he had an unknown daughter surface at the surprise of his family?

Can you believe that one individual tried to prevent the installation of the Man on the Monument Statue currently located in Monument Square?
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Discover the answers to these questions – and learn a whole lot more – during a walking tour of Urbana’s Oak Dale Cemetery on Friday, October 22 and Saturday, October 23.

Led by historian John Bry, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Historic Preservation from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master’s of Science in Historic Preservation from Ball State University, tour-goers will visit 5 private family mausoleums (including the Marshall, Brown/Murphy/Milligan, Weaver, Marvin and the Miller/Mosgrove families) and the former Receiving Vault to hear about history, locations and significant people who have touched Urbana and Champaign County.

There will be four walking tours each evening beginning at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m., and each tour will be limited to approximately 40 minutes each. The walking tour is not handicap-accessible and will require participants to wear comfortable shoes in order to walk carefully in grass and on asphalt. No pets are allowed to attend this event, and the tour will be well-lit but tour-goers are encouraged to bring flashlights.

Face masks are not required at this time, but the CCPA will adhere to any COVID-19 mandates in place at the time of the event. Tours allow 45 people to go at once; social distancing is encouraged. To secure yourself a spot, please go online at https://www.ccpapreserveohio.org/events.html to purchase tickets directly from the CCPA. Tickets are $10 each. Once purchased, tickets are non-refundable.
If you’d like to become a member of the CCPA or would like to donate in kind, please visit this website to learn more: https://www.ccpapreserveohio.org/.