Events
Visitors are welcome to step back into history and experience eighty acres of stately trees and statuary in the beautiful blend of nature and art that is Elmwood Cemetery.
Please come by the Victorian Carpenter Gothic Cottage which serves as our Visitor Center for maps, audio tours, picnic tables and handicap accessible restrooms. Research assistance is also available in the cottage, and security is on the grounds during business hours.
There is no charge to visit Elmwood. Tickets purchased for any of the events below are not refundable.
Sinners, Saints, and Sweets: The Enduring Love Tour
Back by popular demand, the Enduring Love Tour of Elmwood is being offered on Saturday, February 11th. Join us for this tour, which starts at 2 PM, and you'll visit the gravesites of the notoriously (un)lucky in love.
Before the tour begins, enjoy wine or coffee and desserts in the Chapel!
This tour lasts 90 minutes and is all-walking.
Pre-registration for this event is required. Admission is $25 per person.
Read In Peace
Join staff Historian Jorja Frazier and Visitor & Volunteer Coordinator Cookie Swain for the next meeting of the Read in Peace Book Club on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 10-11:30 am.
The book being highlighted is "Recollections of 92 Years, 1824-1916" by Elizabeth Avery Meriweather. After the Civil War, the indomitable Meriweather embarked on a decades-long career as an author and advocate for the equality of women, keeping up the crusade until her death in 1916--the year congressional support for women's suffrage emerged. More information about the book can be found here.
The Read In Peace Book Club is free to all. Please let us know you'll be joining us by emailing Cookie Swain at cookie [at] elmwoodcemetery [dot] org.
Sister Thea: Quiet Revolutionary
Sister Thea Bowman was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1937. She was drawn to Catholicism at an early age and converted; it would completely change her life and the musicial traditions of the Catholic Church. A musician, a poet, a nun, and an activist, Sister Thea left the world a better place simply for having lived in it.
Join Memphis Theological Seminary's Vice President of Advancement and Jefferson Award winning Elmwood volunteer, Cathi Johnson, as she traces the life of Sister Thea on Friday, February 17th at noon.
Please bring your lunch! Soft drinks, bottled water, and cookies will be provided.
The History of Civil Rights
The history of the Civil Rights Movement rests at Elmwood Cemetery. Joinus for a 90 minute walking tour of the cemetery grounds and you'll visit the gravesites of Civil Rights pioneers Marvin Ratner, Benjamin Hooks, Odell Horton, Ernest Withers, and Vasco Smith, among others.
This is an all-walking tour. Weather-appropriate clothing is highly suggested, as well as comfortable walking shoes. The tour begins at 10:30 AM and costs $15 per person.
Stone College---CLASS IS FULL
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.
If you are interested in having your name added to the wait list or if you would like to be considered for a future class, please contact Kimberly McCollum at kmccollum [at] elmwoodcemetery [dot] org or (901) 774-3212.
Ambassador College
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.
The History of Union Avenue
Union Avenue is perhaps *the* major thoroughfare of Memphis. It was once lined with private homes, though...and why is it called "Union" Avenue, anyway? During this Lunch & Lecture Presentation, hear from local Historian Frances Crawford Catmur as she illuminates the truth about Union.
Admission to this event is $7 per person. Registration is required. Begins at noon. For more information, call 774-3212.
Please, bring your lunch! Soft drinks, bottled water, and cookies will be provided.
Crepe Myrtle Salvation Class
There are almost 1,500 trees that adorn the grounds of Elmwood Cemetery, and hundreds are the beloved crepe myrtle. Unfortunately, many of Elmwood's crepes need TLC!
Join Master Gardener Jim Dennis and Master Gardener/Urban Forester Jim Dennis - "The Two Jims" - as they teach a class on how to properly prune crepe myrtles. Bring your loppers, hand saws, and gloves because this class is hands-on.
Email kmccollum [at] elmwoodcemetery [dot] org to sign up. This class is free and open to all.
Suds & Spuds: The History of the Scots-Irish at Elmwood
Elmwood is proud to celebrate the legacy of the Scots-Irish, and what better way to do so than with a tour and a couple of pints? Join the Elmwood staff on Saturday, March 17th at 2 PM for a soul-warming beer and a baked potato bar followed by a walking tour of the cemetery grounds.
This event begins at 2PM and registration is required. Cost is $25 per person. For more information, call 901-774-3212, or register online.
Read In Peace
Join staff Historian Jorja Frazier and Visitor & Volunteer Coordinator Cookie Swain for the next meeting o the Read In Peace Book Club on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 10-11:30 am.
The book being highlighted is "Rising Tide" by John Barry. This book recalls the story of the forgotten flood of 1927 when the Mississippi River swept across an area roughly equal in size to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont combined. More information about the book can be found here.
The Read In Peace Book Club is free to all. Please let us know you'll be joining us by emailing Cookie Swain at cookie [at] elmwoodcemetery [dot] org.