Greenleaf Cemetery will present their 4th Annual Talking Tombstone Tour on Saturday, October 11th beginning at 4:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. A cast list and biography of characters was recently released for the event (see below).
Tickets will be $10 for adults, $5 for students, and children under age five are free. This year’s proceeds will help with some major equipment repairs and a new maintenance building according to organizers.
Tours to historic gravesites will run about every 15 minutes, and each tour will last approximately an hour and a half. The final tour will be at 7:30 p.m. Transportation for the tour will be provided at the parking lot of Victory Baptist Church, located at 2202 Center Avenue (Off of Hwy 377S near the HPU baseball and soccer fields, see map below).
There will be food and soft drinks for sale just inside the north gate where tour groups enter and exit the cemetery. Board member Tim Wilson will be cooking and selling sausage wraps. All proceeds from the event benefit Greenleaf Cemetery.
The front gates will be closed for the event and participants will enter through the recently opened and restored Greenleaf Cemetery gate.
Visitors to the scenic Greenleaf Cemetery will be guided to the grave sites of “former” residents, portrayed by actors in period costumes, who will share something of their lives and times. Transportation continues from site to site during this tour of the lives of historical people buried in Greenleaf Cemetery.
This year seven remarkable lives will be re-enacted. A short biography of each is listed below along with the actor that will portray them.
Dorothy McIntosh, the legendary choir director at Brownwood High School, is remembered, above all, for her love of music, her unwavering pursuit of excellence and her dedication to her students. She set high standards for her students in manners and comportment, and few were inclined to disappoint her. “Miss Mac” will be portrayed by Priscilla Monson.
Samuel R. Coggin figured prominently in the history of Brownwood. He was a successful rancher, with far flung land holdings, a banker, business leader, and philanthropist, whose legacy is still evident in Brownwood today. His extraordinary acts of kindness are remembered over a hundred years after his passing. Daniel Graham will portray Samuel Coggin.
Harriette Graves, who grew up in New York City, met a young man from Brownwood while she was serving as a Navy WAVE during WWII. She was a writer for the Navy newspaper, an experience that was the beginning of her love affair with the newspaper business. On April 1, 1966, Harriette joined the staff of the Brownwood Bulletin where her writing flourished, garnering her numerous awards over her long career. Her daughter, Judy Brownlee, will re-enact Harriette’s remarkable life.
Michael Autry Teague, Petty Officer Third Class, U.S. Navy, was a member of the Brownwood High class of 1963. He became a Navy medic, who was assigned to a Marine combat unit in Viet Nam. His heroic actions on May 2, 1968, under enemy fire, helped save wounded comrades, before he lost his own life. HPU drama student, Bryce McWhirter, will portray Mike Teague.
Ruth Doss continues to be vividly remembered by students in her English classes. She expected and demanded excellence in her classroom – students who were serious about learning. Her long teaching career touched the lives of countless young people, and many still feel her influence, even today. Mrs. Doss will be portrayed by one of her former students, Jennifer Curbo Williams, who is also an English teacher in the Brownwood School system.
Marie Sapenter, an accomplished concert pianist, was also a beloved piano teacher, who gave lessons for many years. Descended from a pioneer Brownwood family, “Miss Marie” trained at the Julliard School of New York and the Sherwood Music School in Chicago. Although she performed in concerts across the nation, her heart was always in Brownwood, where she was devoted to her church and very active in the community. Her life will be re-enacted by both Harriet Wilson and LaSonya Hall.
J.C. Weakley, the founder of Weakley-Watson Hardware in Brownwood, originally opened his business as a tin shop. He arrived in town to put a tin roof on a building, and he liked what he saw and decided to settle here. Weakley-Watson’s is the oldest hardware store in Texas, and is operated today by members of the Blagg family, who are fifth generation descendants. Mr. Weakley’s importance to Brownwood history extends far beyond his successful business. Along with Brooke Smith and Henry Ford, he was instrumental in bringing the railroad to Brownwood. His life will be portrayed by a member of the Blagg family.
Pictured above is Lynn Humeniuk as she portrayed a character in a previous Talking Tombstones tour.
