FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2008
CONTACT: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations,
409-765-7834
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org

Galveston Historical Foundation adds Cemetery Tour "Spirits of the Past" to its Line-up of "Haunted" Offerings this Fall

Spirits of Galveston's past will come to life within the gates of the island's historic Broadway Cemetery this October as Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) adds a new tour to its line-up of "haunted" offerings for the season. The cemetery is located at 40th and K streets in Galveston.

"Spirits of the Past" is a guided dusk walking tour of parts of the Broadway Cemeteries in which a dozen re-enactors will give graveside portrayals of notable famous and infamous Galvestonians interred there. Tours will take place October 30 and 31 at 7 p.m. Space is limited. Advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets are $10 each. Children five years old and younger are admitted free. Call 409-765-7834 for more information.

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"The markers in these cemeteries can tell stories that textbooks do not," says Denise Alexander, GHF's Director of Heritage Programs, who is spearheading the new tour. "Each marker is a piece of Galveston and Texas history."

In 1840, the Galveston City Company officially donated blocks between 40th and 42nd streets for the purpose of public burials; other blocks adjacent to the site were soon donated to make up for seven named cemeteries that make up the Broadway Cemetery. The first burial was in October, 1839.

Highlights of the "Spirits of the Past" Tour

James B. Magruder (ca. 1810 -1871). Major General Magruder led a combined land and sea operation that successfully returned the City of Galveston to the Confederacy on January 1, 1863.

Perugini Brothers
Frank and Tony Perugini were brothers born on the same date two years apart. They joined the Navy in separate states on the same day, unbeknownst to each other. They both died on the same day in a torpedo gun turret on the cruiser NEW ORLEANS during the Battle of the Solomons in World War II.

Alberti Family
Louis G. Alberti operated a butcher shop in Galveston. He and his wife Lizzie became parents of eight children. Two children died of natural causes and four more died on the night of December 4, 1894, after being poisoned by their mother. Eight days later, a court declared her insane and committed Mrs. Alberti to an asylum in San Antonio. Four years later, she died of a morphine overdose and is buried alongside her children.

"Spirits of the Past" is part of Galveston Historical Foundation's "Historic Hauntings" offerings in October. GHF's other haunted attractions include "Halloween aboard Elissa," a tour of nautical superstitions, haunted happenings, and tall tales from the ship's ancient mariners; "Haunted Harbor Excursions," a one-hour narrated exploration of spooky corners and tragic sites in and around Galveston Harbor aboard GHF's motorized passenger vessel Seagull II; and "Are We Haunted," a special tour of Ashton Villa that highlights legends and ghost stories of the mansion. Full descriptions of all GHF's "Historic Hauntings" are available at www.galvestonhistory.org.