[Courtesy Image]
By Chad Frey
Newton Kansan
The stories of tornado victims, murder victims, drowning deaths, civil war veteran and a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty will come to life Oct. 24 during a new after-dark tour of Newton’s Greenwood Cemetery.
The Harvey County Historical Society is hosting its first “Talking Tombstones” event, inviting participants to explore local history through the lives and deaths of people buried in the cemetery.
“We looked into the records at the museum, and they have the records of people buried in Greenwood Cemetery and their causes of death,” said Patricia Middleton, archivist at the Harvey County Historical Museum.
The historical society used historical records and old newspaper articles from the Newton Kansan to research people buried in the cemetery’s original section. Volunteers dressed in period costumes will stand near selected gravesites and share the stories of the people buried there.
Some stories are tragic, while others offer unexpected moments of humor.
“There are some stories that are sad. There are some that have an element of humor to them, believe it or not,” Middleton said.
One of the people featured will be Carlos King, who Middleton described as one of the most impactful figures in the tour. King was the first person to die in the line of duty in local law enforcement history — before the formation of Harvey County. Although he is buried at Greenwood Cemetery, his remains were moved there from Newton’s former Boot Hill cemetery.
Carlos King’s end of watch came Sept. 23 1871
Deputy Sheriff Carlos King, a Civil War veteran for the Union Army, was hired by the residents of what is now Newton in September 1871 as a police officer.
He was also a sheriff’s deputy for Sedgwick County, as Harvey County had not yet been formed.
He was shot and killed in Newton, in the area of 200 West 2nd Street, by a man named Thomas Edwards he had disarmed and thrown out of town for disturbing the peace. Edwards left when ordered to leave, but returned to town after obtaining another gun. He located Deputy King and shot him to death. Edwards was never apprehended.
Deputy King was survived by his wife and two children. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Newton.
The tour will begin with Phil Beebe, who oversees Greenwood Cemetery, sharing the histories of Boot Hill and Greenwood, including how the cemeteries began and how Greenwood operates today.
Tours will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, with groups departing every half-hour. The final tour will leave at 9:30 p.m. Each tour lasts approximately one hour, and groups will be limited to about 10 people.
Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at the Harvey County Historical Museum. Space is limited.
Participants should prepare for an outdoor walk in the dark. The cemetery grounds are uneven, and the tour will involve considerable walking.
