Smitten at the cemetery
The beginning of the tour
I’ve just returned from another great weekend of guiding tour groups around Capturing the Spirit of Oakland at Oakland Cemetery. Last week, I wrote about what I say at the end of these tours, and this week I wanted to share how they begin. All of us guides are asked to dress up in period costumes and portray a resident of the cemetery, so one of the first things I do is introduce myself as Sarah Turner Ivy Kiser.
Sarah portrays Sarah
My inspiration for playing the part of Sarah Turner Ivy Kiser began when I ran across this illustration of a widow walking in a cemetery by Charles Gibson, who is known for his Gibson Girls.
I’m not a big cosplayer, but I knew I wanted to try to reproduce this look, so I set about assembling the pieces: black suit and skirt, white fluffy collared shirt, and a black veil.
Once I had my widow’s costume, it was just a matter of choosing the right widow to portray. I knew about Sarah Turner Ivy Kiser from the Love Stories tours I used to give at Oakland. She was widowed by her first husband, Michael Ivy, and was at the cemetery visiting his grave when she met her second husband, Marion Kiser. Marion had lost two wives who both were interred in the Kiser mausoleum. Eventually, Sarah and Marion married, and Sarah’s first husband Michael was brought into the mausoleum too. So now all five spouses rest there together.
I tell my groups about Sarah and Marion Kiser’s romance that began at Oakland and then remind them: “you never know where love will find you.”
It’s also very convenient portraying Sarah Turner Ivy Kiser because her name is Sarah like mine. Here are a few more photos from the event:
Great job on the costume Sarah. And those photos - both eerie and beautiful.
Oh, wow. What a great event! And you look perfect as the widow Sarah, Sarah. I would love to attend this some year. Happy Halloween!