NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
April 30, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 196
Media Contact: Elaine Brenchley or Nate Davidson, The First State Heritage Park at Dover, 302-739-9194, or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9175 Necia.Beck@state.de.us
First State Heritage Park Debuts New Lantern Tour of the Old Methodist Cemetery May 9
DOVER, Del. - On Friday, May 9, The First State Heritage Park invites the public to explore the historic Wesley United Methodist Church Cemetery located on the site of the original church, and hear the stories of those buried within its gates.
Visitors will step through an old cemetery’s gates to see the well-worn tombstones, towering obelisks, grand sarcophagi, and intricately-carved symbols from an era when death was ever-present and acknowledged through art and custom.
On this newest of the popular cemetery tours offered by the park, visitors will not only learn about the lives of Delaware’s leaders, but also about the deaths of the common citizens buried beside them. Park staff will reveal the sacrifices made by average residents of Dover during the Civil War and the elaborate rituals associated with death and mourning in the 19th century.
Participants will have the opportunity to admire the deliberately chosen and carefully crafted funerary art that decorates the tombs and learn the meanings hidden behind the symbols and what those symbols might reveal about the people buried beneath them.
The tour departs from the parking lot at Museum Square, located at the corner of South New Street and West North Street at 8 p.m. The fee is $5 for adults and $2 for children. Tour space is limited. Call 302-739-9194 for reservations. The First State Heritage Park is online at www.destateparks.com/heritagepark.
Established by Governor Ruth Ann Minner in 2004, The First State Heritage Park at Dover is a partnership of state agencies, under the leadership of Delaware State Parks, working in collaboration with city and county government, nonprofit organizations and the private sector to create Delaware’s first urban “park without boundaries” linking historic and cultural sites in the city that has been the seat of state government since 1777.
