Historical figures in Gail Borden Public Library’s past will come back to life this weekend during the Bluff City Cemetery Walk in Elgin.
Among those who will be profiled during the 37th annual event are the library’s first director, Louis Yarwood, as well as Cecil Harvey and Katherine Abbott, who followed him as directors over the course of the Elgin library’s 150 years.
John Devine, co-chair of this year’s walk, said the idea to center on the library’s anniversary this came together during the planning stages. The theme also encompasses literature, education and advocates who fought for equal access in those areas by including Abby Wing, David C. Cook, Alfred Church and Edward Lovell.
Wing was a well-known teacher and her family donated land for Elgin’s Wing Park. Cook was a publisher and Lovell a lawyer who served as mayor in 1877.
Participants in the walk, which will be held at 3 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, are entertained by actors who portray the characters and speak about their lives in Elgin.
Devine said this is the first time the event has had a theme. His wife, Ana, co-chairs the walk with him and and works at Gail Borden library. Choosing the library’s early directors fit perfectly, he said.
Yarwood, in addition to helming the library from 1874 to 1882, was something of a Renaissance man and became known a landscape artist, Devine said. He eventually lost his library job when the board became dissatisfied by his job performance, and was succeeded by Harvey, who held the position for 20 years until her death from cancer, he said.
Abbott was the library’s longest-serving director, holding the job from 1903 to 1943. The Abbott family has an extensive history in Elgin, and her great grandniece, who shares her name, is expected to take part in the walk, as is one of Cook’s great-grandsons, Devine said.
“It’s exciting to see family (attend the tour),” he said. “It’s a way to honor them and their family.”
Beyond that, it’s also a way to honor those who contributed to Elgin’s history, Devine said.
“I think anytime you tell someone’s story in the first person by their grave, especially when you think of family being present, you want to tell the story well and accurately and respectfully,” he said. He hopes those who attend come away with “something about the legacy of the person’s life and the contributions they’ve made,” he said.
Volunteers research historical figures, write a script, perform the character and guide tours. The $20 ticket cost goes to the Elgin Historical Museum.
The fact that it’s one of the few all-volunteer cemetery walks in the area “demonstrates something about the number of people who enjoy history and care about Elgin and want to bring it to other people,” Devine said.
For more information or to purchase tickets, go to elginhistory.org/event/2024-cemetery-walk.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
