Heritage Preservation Society starts historical, moves to haunted

Larry Tippin shows how to clean a gravestone at the Bainbridge Cemetery on the History, Heritage and Haunts tour presented by the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County. The grave belonged to John, Nancy and Dennis Sullivan. Banner Graphic/JOSH GARVEY

BAINBRIDGE -- Society Larry Tippin explained one of his personal pet peeves inside the Bainbridge Cemetery Saturday.

"Nothing makes me madder than to see gravestones in concrete like that," said Tippin, the historian for the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County.

Tippin explained that the concrete is so much harder than the gravestones that many will eventually break off in the ground.

Tippin also gave tips on the best ways to clean the stones.

"You don't want to use anything abrasive," he said. "I just use water."

Tippin was the first guide along the Heritage Preservation Society's History, Heritage & Haunts tour that took place Saturday.

Maribeth Ward, the organizer of the tour, said the tour began by focusing on history before moving on to some more traditional Halloween fare.

"We wanted to cover more of the history this time," she said.

Ward said the previous year's tour focused more on ghost stories. This year, she also wanted to go to a wider variety of places.

"We also wanted to go to more of the northern parts of the county," Ward said. "We're a Putnam society, not just a Greencastle one."

With all that said, Ward did say that there would be an appearance by Pearl Bryan later in the tour, as the ghost stories moved more to the forefront. Other local ghosts would also be included.

The event had a variety of legs, including a walking tour for an hour. The tour was a fundraiser for the Heritage Preservation.