Editor’s note: Do you want answers to questions about the Golden Triangle? Each week, Dispatch reporters set out to explain or update a timely, practical issue. Email your question to [email protected].
History is coming to life once again with Tales from the Crypt, as students from Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science lead visitors on candlelit tours of Friendship Cemetery and portray historical figures tied to Columbus.
The project, which coincides with the city’s annual Spring Pilgrimage, is now on its 35th iteration. Students began performing in the cemetery for the season last week, with two more windows to attend performances slated for 7-9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday.
With the annual tradition ongoing, where did Tales from the Crypt come from? What kind of research do MSMS students do for the project? And why is Tales from the Crypt important to MSMS and the city?
Where did Tales from the Crypt come from?
MSMS history teacher Chuck Yarborough has been directing Tales from the Crypt for 25 years. He said the project started in 1991, after the Columbus Historic Foundation conducted a study of Pilgrimage, and found the season needed to include nighttime entertainment.
The idea for the project came from founding MSMS faculty member, the late Carl Butler. He and his wife Dixie then owned the historic home Temple Heights, Yarborough said.
“When Carl became a faculty member at MSMS … he realized that he could do a research project and turn it into performance in Friendship Cemetery,” Yarborough said.
In the beginning, Yarborough said, the project strictly focused on individuals buried in Friendship Cemetery. Students conducted research on their subjects only through documents available at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. However, the students’ resources expanded over time, as library archives at Mississippi University for Women were catalogued and made publicly available, and other libraries across the country started digitizing their records, he said.
What is the process for developing Tales from the Crypt performances each year?
Yarborough said each August, students select their research subjects from a list of potential names and documents compiled by MSMS faculty members.
MSMS students listen to a brief lecture on local history, and then begin working to write a research paper on their topic during the fall semester. That paper includes information on the subject, Yarborough said, along with context on the time period.
During the spring semester, those papers are narrowed down into the performances that visitors see in Friendship Cemetery, he said.
“In January, they take some aspect of their research that they feel is important to share with the public – something that they decided was significant – and they write an original performance script,” Yarborough said. “And all, this year, 44 students performed those original scripts in competition with each other to see who would be selected as final performers.”
Once final performances have been selected, students work with development teams to refine and perfect their presentations.
Why is Tales from the Crypt important to MSMS and the city?
Yarborough said Tales from the Crypt allows students to develop academic skills and performance skills, but also a “community ethic,” as they highlight history and complete hours of service in the cemetery.
Proceeds from the event also go back out into the community, Yarborough said. Between 2009 and 2019, the Tales from the Crypt program generated more than $56,000 in proceeds that were donated to other organizations, including more than $28,000 to the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation and others selected year-to-year. In the past, funds have also gone to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, Helping Hands, and other causes the students select for donations.
Tales from the Crypt has remained a boon to Pilgrimage over the years, Yarborough said. Last year, the project drew 1,056 visitors to the cemetery over the course of three nights.
The event has also garnered positive attention for the city in the national media, Yarborough said, including the New York Times, The Atlantic magazine, Southern Living Magazine, and many others.
HOW TO GO
■ WHAT: Tales from the Crypt
■ WHEN: April 9 and 11 starting at 7 p.m.
■ WHERE: Friendship Cemetery, 4th Street South, Columbus
■ HOW: Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in person or online at tickets.visitcolumbusms.org/event/tales-from-the-crypt-2025/. The event is free to attend for preschoolers.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
