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Tenth Annual Cemetery Walk and Supper

posted Jan 11, 2012, 12:08 PM by Wayne Wieseler   [ updated Oct 26, 2012, 8:05 AM ]

Friday, October 12, and Saturday, October 13, 2012

Sebastopol women's stories come to life with Cemetery Walk

Reservations are now being taken for the 10th Annual Barbara Bull Memorial Cemetery Walk scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 12 and 13, 2012.

This year's vignettes feature stories of a woman aviator, our first librarian, a mayor's daughter from 1906, Sebastopol's woman city clerk, a woman who witnessed Queen Victoria's coronation, and a woman journalist.

The event includes dinner, cemetery walk with six performances of historical vignettes, and dessert and coffee at the historic Luther Burbank Experiment Farm Cottage adjacent to Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery.

Tour ticket prices range from $25 for the 5:30 pm tours, and $30 for the 6:15 pm, 7:00 pm, and 7:46 pm. For reservations or more information, call 707-823-0884 or 707-829-1757.

Jean Fisher tells the story of the Chinese women's experience in California in last year's cemetery walk. Sebastopol had a significant Chinese community from the late 1800s until early 20th Century


2012 CEMETERY WALK

Women's contributions to the history of Sebastopol area

Teresa Tee McMenamin Rose 1905-1972

Did you know that Sebastopol had an airport in the 1920s? And that it was used as a base for aerial acrobats by those flyers known as barnstormers.

And that their ranks were joined by Sebastopol¹s own woman aviator, Teresa Tee McMenamin Rose? Join us for the 10th Annual Cemetery Walk to hear more about the 1928 fly in that Tee Rose arranged. And Miss Tee hobnobbed with no less than William Randolph Hearst at Hearst Castle in the Hollywood partying heyday. Miss Tee was also a practicing journalist writing aviation and human interest stories.

Now Available

All ten years of our Cemetery Walk vignette scripts have now been published in one book. Catch up on Cemetery Walk if you missed any year.

Available at the West County Museum or at this year's Cemetery Walk. $25 or $20 for Historical Society members or CW volunteers.

For further information: Evelyn McClure, 707-829-1757,  Belleview@monitor.net

Charlotte Strong 1813-1908

Charlotte Strong was born in England. As a young woman, Charlotte witnessed Queen Victoria's coronation. She and her husband immigrated to the U.S. in 1846. When her daughter died she came to Sebastopol to care for her grandchildren.

Amelia Kidwell c.1895-1957

A native of Pennsylvania, Amelia had lived in Sebastopol most of her life. She was City Clerk from 1945-1956 and owned Ann's Dress Shop on Main Street.

Anita Duncan Laton 1895-1981

Anita was born at Duncans Mills. Her family was in the logging/lumber business. A UC. Berkeley graduate, she taught at San Jose State for 26 years. Her father, Alfred, was mayor of Sebastopol in 1906 when the earthquake happened.

Rebecca Ross Murphy1848-1934

Rebecca Murphy was involved as a librarian in a reading room before Sebastopol¹s Carnegie Library was built. She was married to Oscar Murphy, a Civil War Veteran and a charter member of the Women's Relief Corps, a Civil War Veteran's auxiliary group.

Emilie Frazer Robinson c. 1913-1966

Born in England, Emilie was a Sebastopol correspondent for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat from the 1950s. She had lived in California for 45 years. She was a noted dog breeder.