Pine Hill Cemetery will come alive the nights of Oct. 10-11, with characters from Auburn's past.
The bi-annual Pine Hill Cemetery Lantern Tour, sponsored by the Auburn Heritage Association, will take guests on a candle-lit stroll through Auburn's oldest cemetery, located on Armstrong Street.
"The purpose of the tour is to educate the local community and surrounding areas about the local history of Auburn, because the cemetery is a microcosm of what Auburn has become," said Mary Norman, Auburn Heritage Association director.
Tour guides comprised of local volunteers, dressed in Civil War period costume, will lead groups through illuminated paths to visit with historic figures in Auburn's history.
Additional volunteers will portray the ghosts of Auburn's historic icons, such as city founder Judge John J. Harper, Georgie and Mary Petrie, and Mollie Hollifield.
Lan Lipscomb is a returning volunteer who has been portraying Auburn's characters for more than 10 years.
Lipscomb will play William "Uncle Billy" Mitchell, who, upon his death in 1856, requested to be buried in his feather bed.
His crypt, with the feather bed inside, is visible in the center of Pine Hill.
"I love (Uncle Billy) because I get to lie in a big old iron bed while I wait for people to show up," Lipscomb said. "You have to fight the temptation to fall asleep. I love doing it. It's just fun."
A few years ago, Lipscomb portrayed his own great-great-grandfather during the lantern tour. This year, Lipscomb's son Sam Lipscomb, 11, will be joining him as a Civil War drummer boy.
"I'm kind of a picture for all the other soldiers that have died," Sam said.
Mollie Hollifield is another Auburn icon who will be given a voice at the lantern tour. Hollifield, a 1902 graduate of Auburn, was one of the first writers to write about the history of Auburn.
Her book, "Auburn: Loveliest Village of the Plains," was published in 1955. Erlene Lingle, Auburn resident, 86, will play Hollifield this year.
"Miss Mollie was older and had a boarding house," Lingle said. "They had students (stay), so she hooked up and married one of them. Miss Mollie was a character."
According to Norman, the cemetery, located just a block from Auburn's campus, is continually the victim of vandalism.
Norman said the city of Auburn maintains the cemetery, but the Auburn Heritage Association puts in extra money to repair vandalized grave markers and put up fencing.
The lantern tour is one way the Heritage Association raises the funds to keep the graves in good condition.
The Pine Hill Cemetery Lantern Tour runs Oct. 10-11 from 7-9 p.m.
Tickets are $10, and parking is available at Auburn Junior High School on Samford Avenue. Trolleys will be available to take visitors to the cemetery.
All proceeds go toward the Auburn Heritage Association for the promotion and preservation of the history of Auburn.
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