Perry Historical Society offering guided tours of Evergreen Cemetery next Saturday 

PERRY — The Perry Area Historical Society will showcase the rich history of Evergreen Cemetery with guided tours on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per person. The proceeds will go towards the historical society. 

Perry Historical Museum director and Perry Historical Society president, Ellie Loudermilk, said the tours have been going on for over 30 years. 

The tours started out using monologues, where people acted as those who are buried in the cemetery. 

They then transitioned to guided tours. The historical society has 12 guides who each tell four stories each. 

The tour also has three different routes where the guides use the pass-off method, according to Loudermilk. 

“Tour guide number one passes off to tour guide number two and they only have to guide four people, which makes it more palatable,” she said. 

At the cemetery, one may notice many white crosses. Loudermilk said these represent unmarked graves of many different demographics, such as babies, slaves, Prisoners of War and indigenous individuals who helped build Robins Air Force Base. 

Another feature Loudermilk said sticks out to her is the moss on the trees. The cemetery sits right next to Big Indian Creek and she said it used to be a Creek Indian village. She said people would find arrowheads and shards of pottery. 

According to the Perry Historical Society, Evergreen Cemetery was established in 1826 and was originally used as a burial ground for Perry Methodist Church that originally stood on the grounds. It covers over 12 acres and has over 3,000 graves, the first  Richard Smith, a plantation owner who originally bought 20 lots. 

The cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places. It serves as the final resting place of Perry’s early families and veterans from every American war. 

Evergreen Cemetery holds about 130 Confederate soldiers. The entrance has a recognizable stone archway, a gift from Dr. Charles R. Mann in 1928, according to the historical society.

“There is more history in a cemetery than anywhere else in the town because the people are buried there,” Loudermilk said. “It’s their lives that have made history. When we give a tour, we give a story, so we give their life and contributions [to the City of Perry].” 

Loudermilk hopes the public can appreciate the hardships Perry has experienced by touring Evergreen Cemetery. 

Although Halloween is just around the corner, Loudermilk said their tours are not catered towards the supernatural, rather the history these people have left behind. 

“I will always refuse to do ghost tours because there is no such thing. Ghosts are the spirit of man, and the Bible tells us the spirit only goes two places, wandering the earth is not an option,” she said. 

For more information on the Evergreen Cemetery tours, contact the Perry Historical Museum at perryhistorcialmuseum@gmail.com.