Park City history comes back to life at the annual Glenwood Cemetery event

Molly Finch Heal, William Gidley, and Ancil Johnson portrayed by Museum volunteers for past Glenwood Cemetery tours. Photo: courtesy of the Park City Museum.

PARK CITY, Utah — Get spooky and historical with the Park City Museum’s annual Glenwood Cemetery tour, complete with reenactors, on Saturday, October 1. This annual event raises funds for the preservation of headstones, pathways, and the upkeep of the cemetery.

Each year the Park City Museum researches, writes new, and rewrites old scripts based on the chosen theme. This year’s theme is The Mishaps and Misadventures of Glenwood’s Residents. Last year, the theme was The Founders of Glenwood: Fraternal Orders and How They Helped in Times of Need.

The first tour on Saturday will run from 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., followed by the second tour from 12:45 – 2:00 p.m. The tours will cost $20 per person and are appropriate for ages 10 years and older. Space is limited, and reservations are required.

Reenactors in full costume stand by their grave site and tell their stories of mishaps and misadventures in historic Park City. This year’s characters will include ­­­­­­­­­­­John Gibson, Nellie Dunsmore, Rosetta Crowley, John Donohue, Nicholas Spargo, Ann Willcocks, and Elizabeth Cargeeg, who will all be portrayed by local volunteers.

The Glenwood Cemetery is a 5-acre plot of land acquired in 1885 by Park City’s fraternal organizations (mainly connected to mining) to guarantee a resting place for workers and their families. There are currently only 949 people buried in the cemetery, less than a fifth of its 5,000-person capacity. The Glenwood Cemetery has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981.

To sign-up for the event, please contact Diane Knispel at 435-574-9554 or Lexy Hartford at 435-429-6175 with the tour time of choice. In case of rain, the event will be moved to Sunday, October 2.

The cemetery is located at the end of Silver King Drive, near the intersection of Silver King Drive and Three Kings Drive.