Michael and Elizabeth Stevens portray first Springfield Armory Superintendent John Bryant III and spouse Hannah Mason Bryant, who sewered flannel cartridges for the Continental Army.
Photo credit: Springfield Preservation Trust
SPRINGFIELD — This October, people interested in the Springfield Armory or historical residents who made a mark on the city, will have the chance to wander Springfield Cemetery and “meet” long-dead people who helped shape the City of Firsts.
The Springfield Preservation Trust has partnered with the Springfield Armory to present Voices from the Grave, a historic cemetery tour. The trust has been hosting cemetery tours for more than a decade. Erica Swallow, president of the trust’s Board of Directors, said, generally, the tours highlight significant “residents” of the cemetery with a connection to Springfield’s history. For this event, every person with a grave on the tour had a connection to the armory. Members of the Springfield Preservation Trust will dress in period clothing and portray seven people who lived between 1742 and 1931, each of whom left their mark on the armory.
For example, Swallow said, tourgoers will have the chance to “meet” the armory’s first superintendent, John Bryant III, and his wife, Hannah Mason Bryant, who sewed flannel cartridges for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Another volunteer will portray Cassidy Bull, a member of the Adelphi Chapter of The Order of the Eastern Star, whose husband, Robert Bull contributed to the Armory by creating a precision sight for the Springfield rifle.
During Swallow’s tenure as president of the Board of Directors, the Springfield Preservation Trust has sought to include more women and people of color in its cemetery tours. However, she said the Springfield Preservation Trust could not find research to verify any people of color buried in Springfield Cemetery who had a connection to the armory.
Swallow said each of the volunteers completed deep research into the people they will be portraying. Oftentimes, the era in which the person lived, and the circumstance of their life means that information about them is not readily available online. Instead, they search through old books and letters to learn about their subject. Swallow said the armory staff was of great help with the research.
“This is the type of tour that engages people of all ages,” Swallow said. She said military enthusiasts will enjoy the connections to the Armory’s history, while others will appreciate the artistry of gravestones from the 18th and 19th centuries.
This is the first free cemetery tour presented by the Springfield Preservation Trust. It was made possible by a partnership with the American Alliance of Museums and the National Parks Service. “I’m most proud of the partnership with the Armory and the National Parks. On a national level, this was seen to be an important thing.”
Two other tours created in concert with the Armory have been made into virtual tours, thanks in part to footage from Focus Springfield. A pamphlet based on this tour will allow people to take a self-guided tour of the graves.
The rain-or-shine hour-long walking tour will begin every 15 minutes starting at 1 p.m. at Springfield Cemetery, 110 Pine St. Tour-goers are asked to use the Pine Street entrance.
