The Glenwood Cemetery Stroll Has Gone Virtual

The annual autumn Glenwood Cemetery Stroll has gone virtual this year.

“The plan before Covid-19 was to have a tour in the Cemetery as we have had in the past,” explained Diane Knispel, Director of Education. “Due to restrictions by the Health Department and wanting to keep all guests, volunteers, and staff healthy, we opted for a virtual tour so people can enjoy the experience safely from their own homes.”

A local videographer was hired to shoot, edit and produce the video which was taped on Saturday, September 12, a gloriously sunny, blue-sky day. A drone was used during the filming which promises to provide viewers with an interesting perspective of Glenwood.

Among the spirits who appeared to tell their story are Judge James Don (Donovan Symonds), John Nimmo (Lannie Scopes), Alexander Smith (Steve Leonard), Mary Rasmussen (Barb Bretz), Harriet Truscott (Christie Dilloway), Patrick Coughlin (Daniel Lewis) and Ellen Mawhinney (Cheryl Soshnik).

Most, if not all, of the actors have participated in the reenactment before. In fact, Cheryl Soshnik is doing a repeat performance of Ellen Mawhinney, a character dear to her heart. “While many of our stories from the graveyard tell the stories of the plight of the miners,” says Shoshnik,”Ellen’s story is one of a mother’s grief over loss.”

Robert and Ellen Sloan Mawhinney were one of the earliest families in Park City, arriving in 1876 just as the town was beginning to grow. “Ellen’s story is that of a mother’s perspective, featuring the hardships and loss the early settlers endured,” says Soshnik. “She had many children, but lost half of them before adulthood, mostly because the understanding we now have of diseases and medical treatments were unknown in the 19th century.”

Long time Parkites might remember Mawhinney Motors on Park Avenue which was started by two of Ellen’s surviving sons and run by her grandson Bill Mawhinney until 1994. To this day, the skateboard parking lot where the garage once stood is called the ‘Mawhinney Lot’. Yes, the names and stories of Park City’s past live on.

Although they prefer the Ghost Tour to be held in person within the lovely gates of Glenwood, museum staff and volunteer actors agree it is important for the Glenwood Ghost Tour to continue, even virtually. “We want people to experience the beautiful cemetery, learn about the fraternal organizations that the miners belonged to for social and medical purposes, listen to the stories of the deceased, and learn some interesting Park City History,” says Knispel. The virtual Glenwood tour is now available on the Park City Museum Youtube page for everyone to enjoy.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVRZNeaBrGXCGILlOYw47Q