An Historic Occassion

This afternoon my mother and I attended a walking tour at the historic Laurel Hill Cemetery where people of note throughout our country's history have been laid to rest. It's one of the few cemeteries in our country that's an honest to goodness historic landmark. Who knew?

Today's tour featured the famous abolitionist John Brown who interestingly enough didn't make Laurel Hill his final resting place, however many people who knew him well are buried there.

It was quite a cold day for a tour, and some of the tales about the individuals quite chilling - but we hung in there like a couple of champs. (There were several others who opted to head back inside before the tour had officially ended.)

I was glad that I stuck around because near the end of our tour we came to the grave of Pierce Butler who was at one time married to a woman named Fanny Kemble. As it turns out, Fanny was not only a successful star of the British and American stage, but also an abolitionist. She was introduced to the barbaric practice of slavery when her husband Pierce inherited land and slaves from his grandfather in Georgia. This caused considerable strain on their marriage and she eventually divorced Pierce as a result.


Fanny kept a diary of her stay on her husband's plantation which was later published, "Journal of A Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839". I plan on seeking it out and reading it.

I'm always interested in learning more about strong female characters throughout history. You never know when one story may make a terrific story line for a one-woman play... or maybe even a musical.