Supper in the Cemetery: Dessert with the Dead, May 31

Want to learn more about our community’s history and heritage?  
Do you have a sweet tooth?

Then, join the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County for a special Supper in the Cemetery: Dessert with the Dead in Riverside Cemetery on May 31, 2014 at 3pm.

Get an exclusive opportunity to tour the newly-restored Riverside Chapel and be regaled with stories of Hopkinsville’s past from a few of its most colorful former residents. Constructed in 1916 by the City of Hopkinsville, the Gothic-style chapel served as a convenient place for funerals through the 1930s. At the time, funeral homes (in the modern sense) did not exist, and families traveling from the country to bury their loved ones at Riverside needed a place for services. The chapel fell into a state of disrepair in the mid-20th century, but local efforts raised the funds for the building’s restoration in 1960. Restoration efforts were performed in 1981 and again by the City of Hopkinsville in 2013-2014. In addition to structural repairs, the stained glass in the original color was re-installed in the building’s decorative windows, and the metal doors on the receiving tomb on the interior was restored. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see this revived historic chapel!

A group of special guests will join the group in the chapel to tell of their lives and of how they became permanent residents of Riverside Cemetery. Get a chance to meet the following souls:

• Sarah Phaup, the cemetery’s first resident when it was a family burying ground 
• Gen. James S. Jackson, Union officer killed in the Battle of Perryville
• Col. Thomas Woodard, Confederate officer killed in downtown Hopkinsville
• Maj. James O. Ferrell, schoolmaster of a military school for boys for 40 years
• Jennie Vaughn Stuart, namesake of the community’s first full-scale hospital
• Patsy Brent, the only African-American buried in the cemetery
• Edgar Cayce, world famous clairvoyant known as “the Sleeping Prophet”
• Lena Jones Wicks, local history enthusiast and activist
• Dr. Frank Bassett, doctor, city commissioner, mayor, county clerk, and all-around character
• Julia Henry, radio personality
• William S. McCarroll, bachelor farmer and community benefactor