What: Tour of Calvary Cemetery, presented by the Whitewater Historical Society and the Walworth County Genealogical Society.
When: 1:30-4:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Calvary Cemetery, near the intersection of Graham Street and Stadium Drive on the north side of the UW-Whitewater campus.
Event highlights: The tours, which last about an hour, feature gravesite presentations about 10 notable community members. The event also features tombstone deciphering and grave divining demonstrations.
WHITEWATER — Local history will come to life when the Whitewater Historical Society and the Walworth County Genealogical Society give tours of Calvary Cemetery on Monday.
The cemetery, associated with St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, is where some of the city’s most notable historic figures are buried.
“It’s our mission to preserve and interpret the history of the area,” said Ellen Penwell, president of the historical society. “And returning to that particular cemetery … is a great way to access a picture of past days.”
Participants will visit 10 graves, where costumed actors will portray the people buried in the historic cemetery.
Among the people participants will be introduced to are:
-- The Rev. James Fitzgibbon, a beloved priest at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
-- The Cummings family, Irish immigrants who were among the first to come to Whitewater.
-- Joseph Haubert, who owned a saddle shop on Main Street.
But perhaps the most interesting story is that of Nellie Horan, a young woman accused of poisoning her sister, Anna, in winter 1884. She was acquitted of the murder in spring 1885.
Jeanine Fassl, who will play the role of Nellie during the tour, developed a script based upon accounts of the family—including transcripts of the lengthy trial—printed in the local newspaper.
Anna died in 1884. Soon after, rumors began to fly about what caused her sudden death. An autopsy found strychnine in her body.
“This hit the papers big time,” Fassl said. “No. 1, it was a big human interest story because it was the fourth death in two years for this family, and No. 2, the strange circumstances of her death.”
Police arrested Nellie about two weeks later on charges she poisoned her sister. She was quickly put on trial.
Fassl said the newspaper, the Whitewater Register, where Nellie was a typesetter, treated her kindly in print.
“They knew … that there had to be some horrible mistake and that she would be exonerated,” she said. “The newspaper came out with that right after she was arrested.”
The trial lasted several weeks. The jury was out for just 12 minutes before returning with an acquittal, saying it had not been proved that Nellie poisoned Anna.
Haunted by the notoriety of the trial, Nellie moved away to live with relatives in Minnesota, where she lived until her death. But it was her wish to be buried with her parents and sisters at Calvary Cemetery in Whitewater.
Fassl said the cemetery tour, which includes portrayals of people from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, will give people a glimpse into local history.
“You’re getting a real slice—the Cliff’s Notes version—of Whitewater history,” she said. “And we’re making history come alive for people.
“(The cemetery) is a part of history, and if you don’t understand your history, you don’t understand why people … are proud of where they come from.
“There were some really outstanding people in this community,” Fassl said.