Annual Cemetery Tour – Oct. 3
Annual Cemetery Tour to Honor First Responders- In observance of the 20th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11 and to honor the brave men and women who “responded to the call” throughout history, this year’s “Spirits of the Past Cemetery Tour” will feature firefighters, police, doctors, nurses, Red Cross volunteers, and First Aid personnel. The tour will be staged on Sunday, October 3 in the historic Rahway Cemetery.
Guests will be escorted to ten graves of citizens where costumed actors will give historic accounts of the parts they played as first responders. Tour stops will include Dr. Fred Albee, a famous World War I surgeon, and Dr. Walter Cladek, a noted Rahway physician, who treated patients during the 1918 flu epidemic. Two firefighters will give the history of the Rahway Fire Department and describe Rahway’s “famous” fires. Two policemen, who died on duty, will tell their stories and another policeman will give an account of the Unknown Woman Murder Mystery. A Civil War nurse, a member of the WWI Motor Corps, and a Red Cross volunteer will describe their work during times of war. A First Aid member will tell the tragic story of a car accident in 1939 that took the lives of five teens.
Tours start at noon and leave every fifteen minutes with each tour taking approximately two hours. The last tour goes out at 4:00 p.m. Since we anticipate large crowds, tour time reservations are recommended to ensure a desired starting time. Admission for this educational tour is $15 for adults, $10 for members and seniors (65+), and $5 for children (12 and under). For reservations and more information, call the Museum office at (732) 381-0441 or visit the museum’s website at .merchantsanddrovers.com. The museum is located at 1632 St. Georges Avenue in Rahway.
The Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum Association is dedicated to preserving the Merchants and Drovers Tavern (c. 1795), the Terrill Tavern (c. 1735), developing the site as a tavern museum and to interpreting the important role played by taverns in early American history and to preserving local history. The Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum, located on the corner of St. Georges Avenue and Westfield Avenue, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey.
