The Castle to conduct final cemetery tour of the season

MARIETTA -- The Castle will host its final cemetery tour of the season at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct 21, at Mound Cemetery in Marietta, with highlights of history involving Marietta College. Tours begin at 10 a.m. and noon.

Those on the tour will learn about the local minister who founded Marietta College; the Civil War sacrifices of three of its valedictorians; the start of the Etta Express and the American League in baseball; the Marietta College Ambulance Corps in World War I; a brave president who was decorated in World War II; and the connection between the college's first forward football pass and a groundbreaking milestone in the Civil Rights movement.

The American Civil War greatly affected the school, seeing many of its students joining the ranks of their respective states, both North and South. The conflict also took the lives of some of its best and brightest graduates. The cemetery tour will feature the stories of three valedictorians (Classes of 1859, 1860 and 1862) who gave their lives to restore the Union. The graves of one of those, George Butler Turner, and his friend/classmate Beale Whittlesey, will be visited. Both were killed at Chattanooga and buried in a joint funeral service at Mound Cemetery.

Prepare for the Homecoming game by hearing about Marietta College's very first forward pass in 1906 that defeated Ohio University. Not only was it a record-breaking touchdown that stood for several years, but that single play's connection to several famous people and events is amazing, according to a press release from the Castle.

Castle historian Scott Britton will recount how that historic throw connects the stories of the founding of a multi-generational local business; a famous Olympian and his link to the NFL Hall of Fame; the naming of Marietta's football stadium; Babe Ruth becoming an everyday player, a monumental event in the Civil Rights movement; and the origins of the Heisman Trophy.

Cemetery tour tickets are $10 each. Limited quantities are still available.

To learn more or register, visit https://mariettacastle.org/events.