Remembering the War to End All Wars

On November 11, 1918, an armistice agreement ended the First World War.  More than 65 million soldiers took part in the war. Eight and a half million soldiers died. Another 21 million suffered wounds and more than 7 million were taken prisoner or went missing. The horrors of this intercontinental conflict should have ended all others.

Nearly four and a half million Americans fought in the battles of this terrible modern war. Arkansas sent nearly 72,000 soldiers. Of those, 2,183 died in combat or from disease and 1,751 suffered wounds or injuries.

Mount Holly Cemetery has 56 residents who fought in World War I. Only one of these, George S. Martin, died in the war. George Martin was born in 1894 and died at Fort Dix, New Jersey September 25, 1918. Like many of his brothers in arms – and many others around the globe that year – Private Martin died of the Spanish flu.

To commemorate the centennial of the armistice, the Arkansas Historic Preservations Programs have invited community organizations to ring bells at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

Mount Holly’s bell will ring eleven times to remember our World War I veterans. We invite the public to join us in the cemetery for this event at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 2018.

More information about the commemoration bells can be found at Arkansas World War I Centennial website.

Tales of the Crypt is postponed until next week

Mount Holly and Parkview’s Drama Department have postponed this year’s presentation of Tales of the Crypt.

Stormy weather is predicted to be in Little Rock this evening. While a rollicking thunderstorm enhances a good ghost story, it could damage the performers’ costumes, cause someone to be struck by lightning, douse the lanterns, and make the cemetery a dangerous place to be in the dark.

And besides, we aren’t telling ghost stories at Tales of the Crypt – we’re sharing history.

You’ll still have your chance this year to hear the stories, see the costumes, and enjoy the flickering lanterns of Mount Holly at night. Tales of the Crypt will happen next week, Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Groups will be ushered through the cemetery beginning at 6:00 p.m.

See you next week!

Why Picnic in a Cemetery?

The birth of Mount Holly Cemetery was described in our cookbook, Recipes in Perpetuity: “With early burials scattered in various places, the city of Little Rock badly needed a public burying ground.  The problem was solved in 1843 when two of the leading citizens donated a four block square on the ‘outskirts’ of the city,  held a picnic on the land in May, and auctioned off the original lots. ”

Picnics remained a tradition in later years when families of those buried at Mount Holly would have a picnic and tend the graves of their loved ones.

Today we have a dedicated Sexton and staff to maintain the grounds, wonderful Master Gardener volunteers, and a hard-working board to care for the cemetery.  One of the most delightful ways we raise funds for the maintenance of this peaceful and historic spot is to invite our friends to celebrate with us at our annual picnic.

Please join us April 29 at 5 p.m. for the annual Spring Picnic at Mount Holly. We won’t put you to work, but we will definitely enjoy your company, let you browse our silent auction items, tour the cemetery with one of our guides, entertain you, and feed you!

Tickets are available online through April 23. Children are $20 and adults are $100.

The History of Tales of the Crypt

Susan Taylor Barham taught English at Parkview Arts and Science Magnet and was the original teacher contacted by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) to start the “Tales of the Crypt” program at Mount Holly.

Knowing that Ms. Barham brought her students to Mount Holly Cemetery to read the poems from Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology, the sexton told the AHPP officials that they might want to contact her about the idea.

Barham enlisted the support of Judy Goss, a creative writing teacher and theatre specialist at Parkview, and Fred Bussey to assist in the project. Thinking we would be doing this as a one-time activity at first we plotted out twelve sites and solicited student performer-writers to assist. Leigh contacted the Arkansas Arts Center.

The costumer at the Arkansas Arts Center loaned us costumes which were placed across a bench. The performers were told to find something that would fit.

The three hundred people that were expected turned into over twelve hundred and the evening lasted until about eleven o’clock rather than the eight-thirty expected finish time. The City of Little Rock accepted the project and it has now continued eighteen years and this past year was to be the first that Susan was not physically present. Even in 2012, when she was fighting cancer, she made an appearance at the program she helped give birth to and loved dearly.

Tales of the Crypt continues to be Mount Holly’s most popular event. It is a wonderful legacy to Susan Taylor Barham’s creativity and commitment to education.

School Tours

It has been said that Mount Holly Cemetery is a city park for both the living and the dead. One of many great aspects of life in the cemetery include the school tours given throughout the year by our volunteer tour guides. This clever excerpt, about these tours, is taken from our cookbook, Recipes in Perpetuity: Timeless Tastes and Tales from Residents and Future Residents of Mount Holly.

One of the most joyous events at Mount Holly is a tour of the cemetery by a group of school children. This happens throughout the school year with classes coming from all over the state. Students receive lessons in history, art, and respect for those who have gone before; and they often write thank you notes to the Mount Holly volunteer who has guided them through the cemetery. They find the mausoleum “cool,” David O. Dodd’s grave interesting, and are fascinated by the story of the statues representing the two young sisters. Sometimes their comments and the pictures they draw on their notes bring a smile to our faces.

“I never knew that there were so many ways to bury a dead body.” “The mausoleum was also very cool. I enjoyed walking in it and looking at how old people were when they died.” “I have always enjoyed

“The mausoleum was also very cool. I enjoyed walking in it and looking at how old people were when they died.” “I have always enjoyed

“I have always enjoyed cemeteries, but Mount Holly has been the best I’ve been to by far. I mostly enjoyed the story of the two daughters who were made into statues.”

“I learned about the cremations buried under the water fountain. It really makes me think about doing the same thing when I die.”

And finally: “Knowing that some important Arkansans are buried there makes Arkansas seem less lame.”