Blog
Elmwood University: Classes Enrolling Now.
January 4th, 2012
Do you want to know more about Memphis history? Attend Elmwood University and get to know Memphis’ oldest active cemetery while you learn more about the individuals who helped shape a small river town into a modern metropolis. Two colleges within Elmwood University will train students (like you!) to deliver history-based tours – sometimes in costume – and preserve some of Elmwood’s oldest monuments.
Elmwood is known for its large collection of Victorian funerary art. Students enrolling in Stone College will be trained to assist in the preservation of Elmwood’s oldest and most fragile monuments. This workshop will focus on cleaning, leveling and restoring monuments. Graduates of this three hour workshop will be invited to participate in scheduled monument cleanings and restoration events throughout the year.
More than 5,000 area students tour the cemetery each year. Elmwood’s annual Costume Twilight Tour attracts more than 1,000 visitors over the course of 2 hours! Students of Ambassador College will be trained to give tours, as well as how to wear a costume and deliver a script that will captivate a crowd! Graduates of this college will be invited to participate in a variety of tours and special events happening at Elmwood.
Class will meet on Saturday, March 3rd at 9AM. Students can enroll in only one class at a time, but never fear: additional classes will be added soon! Tuition to attend Elmwood University is $25 per person. Please call Kim at 901-774-3212 to register for class today. Or if you'd like to enroll online, visit http://www.elmwoodcemetery.org/events.
The David McCrosky Volunteer Photographer-In-Residence Program
December 29th, 2011
If you've enjoyed the photos on Elmwood's website or on the cemetery's Facebook page, there's a very good reason. The photos were (largely) taken with the care and expertise of one of Elmwood's Photographers-in-Residence.
The program began when a local photographer named Dave McCrosky paid a visit to Elmwood one day. He was a casual visitor who became infatuated with the beauty of Elmwood, and took hundreds of photos, which he generously donated to Elmwood. His photos are displayed on the Gallery section of this website.
Dave continued to donate photos to Elmwood. His generosity gave rise to an idea that maybe other photographers would like to take photos of Elmwood and donate them to the cemetery, too. With Dave's permission, the David McCrosky Volunteer Photographer-in-Residence Program was born.
A select few have had the privilege of being named Elmwood's official photograher, a year-long position that pays nothing. The photographers are asked to take as many photos of Elmwood as they like over the course of the seasons, documenting the changing colors of the trees, the monuments, and even the special events that take place at Elmwood. The photos are released to Elmwood to use how the cemetery sees fit: in a book, on a website, or hanging on the cemetery Cottage walls, to name a few.
With the close of 2011, we say thank you to Danny Bowers, the most recent photographer, who spent countless hours at Elmwood, in the heat, the rain, and the cold, taking timeless photos that will be enjoyed forever. Danny's excellent work can be found in the Gallery section of this website.
The new year brings new photos, this time from Shonna Springer, another committed and talented photographer who has exhibited her work in Elmwood's Gallery, too.
As the new year begins, and when you see photos of Elmwood, we hope that you will remember the story behind the snapshot.
What happened to Jasper Smith?
December 12th, 2011
2011 has been a truly wonderful year for the Virginia B. McGehee Youth Education Program at Elmwood. An unprecedented number of school-age children visited the cemetery. You might wonder why we at Elmwood believe it's a good idea to bring children through the cemetery, but the answer is very simple: so that they can learn what they all have in common through the regional history they share.
There are so many unique stories to be learned on a tour of Elmwood. They make a lasting impression on our young tourists. For example, the story of Jasper Smith is one that inspires the imaginations of all children (and adults). Earlier this year, St. Dominic School visited Elmwood for a tour and they heard the story of Jasper Smith, the gentleman who went missing one night in 1899, reportedly with pockets full of gold.
Once the children returned to their classroom, they discussed the story of Jasper Smith. They decided they would put together a collection of stories that might end the great Jasper Smith mystery. Here are some samples of what they imagine happened:
1. "Jasper Smith was a time traveler. He could walk into mirrors and travel back and forth in time. He traveled back from the future to Memphis in 1819. He kind of liked Memphis at this time because he had a lot of ideas of ways to help Memphis."
2. "Jasper Smith was on Whiskey Alley at a bar called Whiskey Shoot. When he left he was terribly drunk! So he kissed someone's wife and POW! He got smacked so hard he went flying through the bar and out the door."
3. "He decided to rent aboat and float down the Mississippi River to New Orleans without his horse and buggy. The boat hit a log, broke to pieces, and Jasper drowned in the mighty, muddy Mississippi."
The staff and volunteers who lead the history tours of the cemetery grounds are always excited to inspire the creativity of our city's youngest citizens. If you are a teacher and would like to bring your class to Elmwood, please know that we would love to have you! Contact cookie [at] elmwoodcemetery [dot] org to register for a tour.
It doesn't just make a sound. It leaves a mark.
September 9th, 2011
When the wind blows through Elmwood, you can hear the creaks and groans of history, the strain on ancient limbs, the pull on the roots of generations. And all of it can and does come crashing down on hallowed ground, on 159 years of the who and what marking our time here.
It sounds devastating.
With trees as old and magnificent as ours, and with as many as we have, they will fall. As vigilant and aware as we might be of potential problems, our best efforts can’t prevent the loss of some of our trees. Five trees and counting this year.
It leaves us with work to do.
As hopeful as we might be and thankful of the huge trunks and limbs that miss our monuments, many will be broken if not destroyed. This year alone, our related expenses from downed trees approach $18,000. We have no way of knowing what the cost will be year-to-year, but we have to repair those monuments, replant new trees and treat those that appear distressed.
The time has come for us to establish a separate fund dedicated to the maintenance of our historical canopy, and the restoration of our irreplaceable monuments and markers lying helpless and still beneath the mighty limbs.
Help us keep Elmwood Ever Green.
Please help us raise $18,000 in the next 90 days to both address this year and to set up the Elmwood Ever Green fund to address all the years to come.
Our trees serve us as both cemetery and arboretum, resting place andrestful space. Please help us recognize their contribution, and their danger, with a generous contribution of your own.
As always, thank you.
The Tree Committee
Jeanne Coors Arthur and Terran Arwood
Paul Johnson: Elmwood Handyman and Hero
September 1st, 2011
Volunteer Paul Johnson recently stepped up to assist Elmwood Cemetery with a construction project that was long overdue. In short, Paul built a door.
Paul and his wife Cathi have been spending time at Elmwood for quite some time now. Trimming trees, leading tours, appearing in character, and supporting each other's volunteer work at Elmwood is what they do as a collective (and they are most definitely a team).
So when Cathi mentioned that Paul owned and operated his own Contractor business, the staff asked if he would be interested in replacing the old, moldering crawl space door on the east side of the Cottage.
Paul gladly agreed to take on the project, and the result is a new, properly-fitting door to the crawl space beneath the Cottage. To show him our appreciation, we attached a plaque to the door thanking Paul for his donation.
The friends, families, staff and Board of Trustees thank Paul for his donation. We also invite you to volunteer in whatever way you can at the oldest, most historic cemetery in the city of Memphis.