A young girl in a burgundy dress sits at an old desk, candlelight illuminating her and the headstones around her.
She begins to tell a story of her harrowing journey escaping the Armenian genocide and beginning a new life in Columbus.
“Everyone knows our store — Joseph Hanna General Merchandise at 326 Main St. — but no one really knows our story,” said Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science junior Lucianna Marquez, while acting as Selma Hanna. “… Columbus hasn’t always been where my family calls home. You see, (Joseph and Selma Hanna) were both born an ocean away in Mardin, Turkey. Joe in 1897 and me in 1904 — only a few years before a disaster struck us. Look, I know we all have memories we’d love to forget, but it’s important those not only be remembered but shared, so they can never happen again.”
Looking on at the scene coming to life, three of Hanna’s relatives still living in Columbus watched Marquez give an account of Hanna’s life on Wednesday, the opening night of the 33rd annual Tales from the Crypt. Nine MSMS students, in full period garb, told stories of past Columbians to a crowd of 161 attendees at Friendship Cemetery.
Marquez took direction in her performance from an autobiographical account Hanna wrote before her death in 1989. Katherine Kerby, sister-in-law to Hanna’s direct relative Allen Kerby, said Marquez’s portrayal was entirely accurate to what was written.
“Selma had been placed in the American Red Cross Relief Society and had been taught by one of the relief workers how to speak English, so she became the interpreter for the Red Cross during the genocide,” Katherine Kerby said. “By her account, there were 2,000 (Armenians) a day trying to escape. … I cry every time I read her account. It’s terrifying. She closes (her autobiographical account) with gratitude, which is such a sweet note.”
The Armenian genocide lasted from 1915 to 1917, and involved the Ottoman Empire’s — modern-day Turkey — attempt to rid Anatolia of Armenians through deportations and mass murder. More than 1 million died during the genocide.
Allen Kerby, who remembers Hanna, said she was always kind to everyone she met.
“It was just really moving and very emotional,” Allen told The Dispatch. “Katherine did all of the family research. The story I heard was that they had to escape the Armenian genocide, and they hid in the caves. … They were such gracious people and treated us like their own kids.”
Students’ research began in the fall, and by February nine students chosen to perform began practicing for the spring event, which includes four performance days.
Tales from the Crypt is part of the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage, and it is a walking tour through Friendship Cemetery. Between the history performances, MSMS students serenaded the event-goers with musical performances and told of history about the cemetery.
Performances of stories differed from Hanna’s account of coming to America and being naturalized in Columbus, to Jeff Kirk who was a formerly enslaved carpenter known for his work on area landmarks, to Hay T. Landrum, a 16-year-old boy who volunteered for the Confederate Army.
All are students in Chuck Yarborough’s history class at MSMS.
The next performance is today, and the final two will be April 19 and 21. Each program will be from 7 to 10 p.m. as different tours come through.
Each tour of the nine performances should last about 45 minutes.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for all students from kindergarten through university, and they can be purchased online at preservecolumbus.com/events. They can also be purchased at the cemetery before the performance.
How to go
■ WHAT: Tales from the Crypt
■ WHEN: Today and April 19 and 21 from 7 to 10 p.m.
■ WHERE: Friendship Cemetery, Fourth St. S., Columbus
■ HOW: Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 students kindergarten through university and can be purchased on-site or online at preservecolumbus.com/events
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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 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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