Students at Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science are giving the past a voice at Friendship Cemetery, allowing Pilgrimage attendees to connect Columbus’ history to its present.
The 22nd Annual Tales From The Crypt — where MSMS students research, then portray, characters from the past in performances designed to educate viewers about the history of the area — continues tonight at Friendship Cemetery, with tours beginning at 7 p.m. But arrive early because attendance numbers are high.
“We had 242 people Wednesday night and we’ve had almost 450 people in two performances,” director Chuck Yarborough said. “We have some great stories to tell this year because the students’ original research was so strong. We have one character who relates the role of an enslaved woman in a lawsuit that lead to the Women’s Property Act passage, during the 1840s. We have another who shares the personal tribulations of a Jewish immigrant family. Another explores the impact of the Spanish American War on a local family, and yet another the trials of a family whose home became a ‘pest house’ for smallpox victims in the 1800s.”
“Tales From The Crypt ” originated from the late Carl Butler, a longtime school teacher and swimming coach. Yarborough started facilitating the program, through MSMS, 11 years ago.
“From August to December, each of the 50 students in the (“Tales from the Crypt”) classes spends several hours a week conducting research and writing, in preparation for their primary document research paper, which is due in December,” Yarborough said. “They spend six hours, in auditions, in January. We then practice about an hour, once a week, from January until performances. On performance nights, we leave the campus to set up shortly after 5:30 p.m. Performances begin at 7 p.m. and we close the gate at 9:30 p.m.
“Wednesday night we had a group of eight that arrived just before the gate closed, so our end time each evening depends upon when the last group begins its tour,” Yarborough added.
Buy the ticket, take the ride
Upon entering Friendship Cemetery before dusk, ticket holders will be transported to the 1800s, where ghosts come to life to share their experiences as part of the tapestry of Columbus history.
Trentice Leonard, of Tunica, portrays Horatio Fleming Simrall. Simrall was the junior warden at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and a founding member of the Woodmen of the World fraternal organization.
“In my day, fraternal organizations meant something and were there to help people,” Leonard, as Simrall, said. “They aren’t like the fraternal organizations of today.”
Other tableaus include Asa Watson, baker Frederick Shull and Rub Ownes Parrish Jones.
“(Tales From The Crypt) has won awards like the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and been recognized by the History Channel and others, because the project combines student research with writing and student performance for the broader community,” Yarborough said.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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