The Luzerne County Historical Society is offering some cultivated ways to enjoy the theme of the season with a bit of education and local yore. Anyone can go to the dozens of “haunted house” and “horror hall” tours that have popped up everywhere. One can only see so much blood and gore. So if you wish to escape this mindlessness, call the Historical Society. There are two tours being offered: one is a downtown walking tour (which we did last year) and another is the Hollenback Cemetery Tour. Through word-of-mouth, we were told it’s not to be missed. So, we made our advance reservations for Sunday, October 21 and took the 1:00 tour. Even though the North End fire raged across the street, there was a full group ready to hear about this local landmark.

According to the Historical Society’s narrative, the Hollenback Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Northeast Pennsylvania, opening in 1855 and containing the remains of over 16,000 individuals in 25 acres. During the two-hour tour, we learned about the history of some of the founding and prominent families of the Wyoming Valley. We passed elaborate mausoleums and gravestones that “decorate” the cemetery.

The cemetery is endowed by the Hollenback Cemetery Association and the site is kept in immaculate condition and should not be confused with the cemetery next to it, the Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery. Sadly, it is no where near as meticulously maintained.

Hollenback Cemetery was originally designed to resemble a park and has retained its original structure since opening. Paved pathways with their original drainage structures along the sides have kept erosion to a minimum. There are very few burials held at the Hollenback Cemetery anymore as all of the plots are sold. Family plots remain and as the family members pass, they can take their final positions. From the top of the hill, the view of the Susquehanna River and the West Side of the valley is spectacular, certainly (a-hem) a view to die for.

We found the tour to be more about life than death. We heard tales of the lives of the residents of Wilkes-Barre who now have the most peaceful resting spot in Wilkes-Barre. We heard stories of politicians, lawyers, business owners, working citizens and their children and their experiences living here. Speaking of children, there is a special section for homeless children who died. They were provided with the dignity of a proper burial, but regrettably, all that remains is a number above them. Sad.

The passage of time is marked here in the notable absence of flowers at grave sites (a lone exception being the Kirby Mausoleum where a bouquet is delivered to the foot of the door once each week). Most of these sites aren’t visited by anyone. The first and foremost reason is that most family members of those buried in Hollenback are now dead themselves. The second reason is many of these founding families: Stegmaier, Butler, Slocum and Rutter have long since left the valley or the family name has died off. I was particularly saddened by this thought.

Wilkes-Barre’s original cemetery was located on Washington Street near the present day site of the police headquarters. As the town of Wilkes-Barre grew, this plot of land became too valuable to be taken up as a cemetery. The bodies were reinterred at the Hollenback site. Well, most of them were. Eerily, as they were excavating the foundation of the police headquarter building after the flood of 1972, some remnants of bones were discovered. We are left to conclude that moving the headstones was easier to move than the bodies themselves!

So if you’d like to skip the Freddy Kruger nonsense, call the Luzerne County Historical Society at 570-823-6244 x 3. You still have this weekend: Saturday, October 27 at 11:00 a.m and Sunday, October 28 at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for members of the Historical Society and $7.00 for non-members. Space is limited so call now.

I just know you’re dying to go.

www.luzernecountyhistory.com