GLENWOOD – On Friday, June 19, from 5 to 7 p.m., Laurel Grove Cemetery will host a Summer Solstice Celebration at 3274 Judkins Road, which aims to illuminate the cemetery’s rich history and share poignant stories from its past. Attendees will have the opportunity to take a self-guided tour, engage with the site’s heritage, and connect with the narratives that have shaped its significance over time.

This event is a collaborative effort between the Springfield History Museum and Laurel Grove Cemetery.

“Local history is all around us,” said Maddi McGraw, curator of the Springfield History Museum. McGraw was inspired to create this event by a memorable solstice tour she attended in Alaska, where she previously worked and lived. Each year, a local historian led this tour of the cemeteries. Tours like these are “a fun way to get people to learn about an interesting location.”

During the free event, with thousands of people buried across its 12 acres, visitors can embark on a self-guided tour featuring 50 informative signs throughout the cemetery. Each sign shares stories that depict the lives and fates of those laid to rest here.

About the cemetery

According to Bob Meakins, in Oregon Burial Site Guide (2001), the cemetery on the hill in Glenwood has been known by several names, including I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Judkins Cemetery, Laurel Hill, and Laurel Grove. However, the consensus is that the correct name is Laurel Grove, as per the original deed from the I.O.O.F. Lodge, which acquired the cemetery in the late 1880s. Despite the lodge’s attempts to promote the name Laurel Grove, Laurel Hill became widely used. The cemetery was established on the Zara Sweet donation land claim, with the first burial being that of William Sweet, who passed away on Sept. 27, 1855, at the age of 5 years, 10 months, and 7 days.

Among the more than 4,000 people buried there are Isaac Briggs, who founded the City of Springfield with his son Elias, as well as four mayors of Springfield. Other notable families and figures include the family of author Opal Whiteley from Cottage Grove; major league pitcher Howard Fox; Charnel Mulligan, a co-founder of the City of Eugene; and Henry and Mary Newman, whose son, John Henry Newman, opened the Newmans’ Fish Company in Eugene.

During the tour, you can find symbolism on Victorian headstones from the 1800s, such as imagery of broken-limbed trees, which signifies that someone’s life ended too soon.

The location also boasts a “zinkie,” a headstone made from an oxidized zinc alloy that gave it a distinct white appearance, popular in the early 20th century because it was inexpensive compared to carved stone.

About the tour

McGraw said she centered the tour on the solstice to highlight holidays that wouldn’t conflict with families already visiting the cemetery.

She explained that the event is scheduled for June 19 instead of June 21, the actual summer solstice, because the museum enjoyed last year’s band, Llorona, so much that they wanted to ensure the band could participate again. The band’s melodies are hauntingly enjoyable.

“We formed over 12 years ago and took the name Llorona from the legend because we initially began with songs we wrote based on Mexican folklore – lots of ghost stories and morality tales, many that we were told to us as children,” said Marietta Bonaventure, performer in Llorona. As described in the legend of La Llorona, also known as the “Weeping Woman,” she is a vengeful ghost who haunts bodies of water because her Spanish husband drowned their children there. In these tales, she brings misfortune to those who hear her wailing.

McGraw reminds folks that, being a historic cemetery, grave rubbings are discouraged because they can damage crumbling headstones. Some stones are so heavy that they risk breaking and injuring visitors who put pressure on them. For that reason, guests are asked not to touch – but encouraged to take lots of photographs.

This is the fourth solstice celebration at Laurel Grove Cemetery – and the museum plans to put on another next year. It also happens to be a beautiful location, and not well known, two reasons McGraw focused on this cemetery.

“We would love to support ones [cemetery tours] if people want to do this at other locations,” she said.

Sarina Dorie is the arts writer for The Chronicle.