HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF LONG BEACH 
20th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour

From the HSLB’s website: “Beginning in 1995, the HSLB has conducted an annual living history tour at the city’s two oldest cemeteries. Located on Willow Street between Orange and California and adjacent to one another, Long Beach Municipal Cemetery and Sunnyside Cemetery are ‘home’ to more than 20,000 past residents of the city.

photo: QHGS

“The tour takes place on Hallowe’en—Saturday, October 31st—this year and features graveside presentations by professional and volunteer actors who relate the life and death of the person lying at rest. Each year’s program features a number of stories. Some are individuals who helped shape the city’s political past, and others are ordinary people whose tales remind us that rich or poor, famed or barely remembered, everyone has a story to tell. Period costumes worn by all the performers further heighten the experience with an aura of authenticity. Many guests get so involved in the presentation that they forget that it’s an actor telling the story and ask ‘what was it like to live here in 1920?’ The tour is appropriate for families and all ages. There is nothing scary about the presentations or the location. The ground is uneven, so we recommend comfortable shoes. And typically the morning is chilly but by afternoon it’s quite warm, so a removable sweater or coat is recommended. There is some parking inside the cemetery and easy parking in the surrounding neighborhood.”

If you have never been to this event, be sure to go this year. It’s a great opportunity to combine Long Beach history with your interest in genealogy because both of these cemeteries were transcribed by QHGS members forty years ago and published in the Society’s first book, Some Early Southern California Burials. Need more information? Take a look at the HSLB website http://hslb.org/historical-cemetery-tour/ where you can order tickets online and watch videos of presentations from past years to get a good idea of what takes place.

RESEARCH TIP: Genealogy societies and historical societies work hand-in-hand in their communities. The historical societies document important events and the genealogical societies record information about important families. When you are researching ancestors in another city, don't forget to contact the historical society there. Your ancestors may appear in photographs of important events available only at the historical society.