It was almost a full moon March 7 when a sold-out group of 25 set out for a nighttime tour of Oakland & Fraternal Cemetery Park.
The Lantern Light Tour was led by Linda Howell, author of Haunted Little Rock, and is a fundraiser for the 158-year-old cemetery. It will be held every Saturday night in March.
Tourgoers boarded a flatbed trailer that has been outfitted with bench seats. The cemetery's sexton John Rains pulled the trailer behind a pickup truck as Howell gave descriptions of some of the cemetery's residents.
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One of the highlights of the tour was a stop at the Weeping Angel monument atop the Steen family gravesite. The angel is missing all of her toes due to vandals. Another memorable stop was at a large mausoleum that was set up to look like it would in 1863. Through the doors, tourgoers could see a casket with a woman sitting nearby. Howell explained sitters would watch over bodies because many times people who were thought to be dead were still alive, for instance, suffering from lead poisoning.
Seating for the remaining tours is limited. Contact Howell at lindahowell2@yahoo.com or (501) 681-3857 for more information.
High Profile on 03/15/2020