Registration now closed

Past the Cemetery Gate with the Gravestone Girls

“Past the Cemetery Gate” is a 90 minute presentation where we learn to ‘read’ the cemetery for clues and information.

Using both direct observation and deductive reasoning from objects such as the writing, art, geology and the cemetery landscape, much new insight can be revealed, which can answer questions, create new inquiries and open doors for further detective work. Many use the cemetery as a cursory resource for learning, genealogy or entertainment, and some haven’t tapped it at all. This program will get guests looking at these spaces, both old and new, as a valuable resource for their data collection activities.

Brenda Sullivan has been immersed gravestone art, history and symbolism for more than 30 years. An education in Art History & Restoration led to the creation of Gravestone Girls, and a mission to "keep our dead alive" through educational lectures, tours, classes and creation of New England gravestone replicas.

Gravestone Girls create replicas of old New England tombstones in the form of wall hangings, magnets, coasters, mirrors, tombstone chocolate and more!  Cast directly from originals still on cemetery landscapes, their art is a piece of history in your hand. "Keeping our dead alive" through lectures, tours, classes and art, they work nationwide, raising cemetery awareness and teaching citizens the history buried under their feet.

Upcoming Events