History comes alive on cemetery walk

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For the third year in a row, history will come alive in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

On Sunday, Oct. 13, the Delaware County Historical Society will host the Cemetery Walk, in which actors will portray eight prominent Delawareans who are buried there. This year’s tour will feature a completely new list of historic figures from Delaware, including Dr. Reuben Lamb, a physician who treated soldiers during the War of 1812; John Freeman Shorter, a Civil War soldier who fought in the Massachusetts 55th Infantry and ancestors included a Hemmings once owned by Thomas Jefferson; and Frederick P. Vergon who was a successful agriculturalist and the first breeder of shorthorn cattle in the area. Vergon also built Greenwood Lake and Pleasure Grounds. Also portrayed will be Baroness Viola Lytle Üchtritz, a Delaware, Ohio native who received a musical education at Ohio Wesleyan University and went abroad to study in Berlin, and while there, she met and married Baron Edgar von Üchtritz.

This is a ticketed event. Continuing guided tours will leave every 20 minutes from the front gate (334 S. Sandusky St., Delaware); the first tour will start at 1 p.m., and the last tour will start at 3 p.m. Each tour will last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Parking will be available at the cemetery, however there is no handicapped accessibility and the tour will involve some walking over uneven ground. Participants are requested to be at the cemetery at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time so the tour group can assemble.

A limited number of tickets are available. To purchase tickets and schedule a tour online, visit www.delawareohiohistory.org. There may be a limited number of walk-ins allowed with an additional charge.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 740-369-3831, extension 3.

The Delaware County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote, preserve and sustain interest in the history of Delaware County. The Barn at Stratford is operated by DCHS as an event venue for weddings, corporate meetings and other special occasions. To learn more, visit the venue and society web sites at barnatstratford.org and delawareohiohistory.org.

Pictured are six of the eight reenactors set to take part in the third annual Oak Grove Cemetery Walk scheduled for Oct. 13. Pictured, left to right, are Steve Shaw, portraying Rev. Henry Van Deman; Steve Frazier, portraying David Grinton; Steve Berry, portraying Frederick P. Vergon; Nancy Fleming, portraying Baroness Viola (Lytle) Üchtritz; Joe Dwenger, portraying Dr. Reuben Lamb; and Tracey Sumner Sr,. portraying John Freeman Shorter. Not pictured is Leslie Brown, portraying Sarah Ann Moore; and Sherry Lloyd, portraying Mary Frances (Alston) Austin.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019/10/web1_IMG_9335a.jpgPictured are six of the eight reenactors set to take part in the third annual Oak Grove Cemetery Walk scheduled for Oct. 13. Pictured, left to right, are Steve Shaw, portraying Rev. Henry Van Deman; Steve Frazier, portraying David Grinton; Steve Berry, portraying Frederick P. Vergon; Nancy Fleming, portraying Baroness Viola (Lytle) Üchtritz; Joe Dwenger, portraying Dr. Reuben Lamb; and Tracey Sumner Sr,. portraying John Freeman Shorter. Not pictured is Leslie Brown, portraying Sarah Ann Moore; and Sherry Lloyd, portraying Mary Frances (Alston) Austin.

Special to The Gazette

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This story was submitted by the Delaware County Historical Society.

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