Fund-raiser features local trivia

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

JULIA BOYD

If you’ve long wondered who the northern transplant known as the “Southern Gentleman” is or what native of Warren County befriended six Presidents, volunteers with Families in Crisis may present some answers April 13.

In a fund-raising effort for Families in Crisis, organizers are planning a look into the past with their “Riverside Retrospection” in a series of half-hour tours at Riverside Cemetery.

The historic cemetery is known as the resting place for much of the area’s historical personalities and members of the Warren County community will give a voice to that history, including presentations by live and costumed actors, Families in Crisis director Julia Boyd said.

Boyd said local historians provided knowledge about various personalities such as Civic War hero Col. John Savage, library enthusiasts William Magness and Mary Steakley Cunningham, poet and writer Lucy Virginia French and several others portrayed in the tours.

“Jimmy Haley will do a short overview of the history of the cemetery and all the characters were chosen with the help of County Historian James Dillon,” Boyd said.

The cemetery is located a half-mile from the center of town at the corner of Bridge and Cemetery streets at Depot Bottom. Admission is $8 and proceeds benefit the shelter, which serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Tours begin at 11 a.m. and tickets may be purchased in advance by calling 473-6543.