Elgin's Bluff City Cemetery Walk also offers evening walk this year
The Bluff City Cemetery Walk will be held in person on Sept. 25-26. This year, the walk will be a two-day event with timed entry tickets rather than an open all-day ticket.
On Saturday, for the first time ever, the walk is being offered as an evening performance at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday performances will start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Cemetery Walk team is excited about these changes because it will accommodate more visitors per day and there will be less wait time during the tour.
The event also will be professionally recorded and a video version will be available for viewing on Oct. 3.
Tickets are $15 for either the in-person or virtual event and available online only at elginhistory.org/events/cemetery-walk.
Visitors will be welcomed to the historic Bluff City Cemetery that has provided the final resting place for area residents since 1889.
A guide will lead visitors on a 70-minute tour that showcases six former residents and one vignette, portrayed by actors in period costumes. Note: This year's route is very uneven and has some steep grades. Please consider the virtual version of the walk if this type of terrain does not fit your needs.
Character profiles
• Featured Character: Daniel Broadnax Sr. was a dedicated family man and entrepreneur who owned a shoe repair shop on Dundee Avenue.
• Architect: Ralph Elliott Abell designed many of the local buildings which have been occupied for more than a century and remain a familiar part of Elgin's history.
• Merchant: William Grosvenor Hubbard came to Elgin in 1843 to manage a dry goods store and became one of Elgin's most important pioneer merchants.
• Humanitarian: Eliza Ann Hadwen Lovell took care of many impoverished children in the neighborhood, even offering her own home to care and provide for them.
• Farmer & Businessman: Henry Sherman donated land and a building for the first hospital in Elgin in 1888. This would be named Sherman Hospital.
• Attorney: John West Ranstead attended Elgin Academy and served as a judge in Elgin for 19 years. His law office was on the second floor of the building that how houses Al's Cafe.
Also hear how Elgin women contributed to the war effort with "Elgin Women in World War II."
The purpose of this event is to provide insight into Elgin's unique history, enjoy the beauty of the Bluff City Cemetery grounds and educate people about the importance of preserving cemeteries. Volunteers at the Elgin History Museum organize this much anticipated event that attracts hundreds of people each year.
The museum is anticipating a great demand for the new time slots on Saturday evening, so get your tickets today at elginhistory.org/events/cemetery-walk.
The museum will continue to monitor the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and State of Illinois in regards to the COVID pandemic and any updates will be noted on the Elgin History Museum's website and social media. The Bluff City Cemetery Walk is a rain or shine event.