Kevin Pazour leads a tour of Old City Cemetery in 2021, courtesy of Ron Trigg

We invite you to attend a guided tour of Old City Cemetery on Saturday, November 2, 2024. Participants are asked to meet at the cemetery’s gates on Union Street in Valparaiso at 2p for an hour’s walk highlighted by stories of the many veterans buried there.

“This is a rare opportunity to visit the oldest public cemetery in Porter County, a site that is normally, not open to visitors because of past problems with vandalism,” said PoCo Muse Executive Director Kevin Pazour, who will lead the excursion. Pazour is also the Porter County Historian. “The cemetery is the final resting place for a veterans of the War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Civil War, and more. Longtime residents of the area will almost certainly be familiar with many of the people buried here.”

Assisting Pazour at the event will be Steve Mockler, a local historian and Civil War expert, who is a member of the David D. Porter Camp #116 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Mockler will add his insights into the lives of Civil War soldiers who lie here.

“We’ll be making stops at numerous gravesites to tell stories of many of the more than 900 people interred here,” added Pazour. “It’s a mixed bag of prominent people and everyday folks, with a handful of quirky individuals thrown in. Every one of them has a tale to tell, and we’re determined to keep these stories alive, so that these people will not be forgotten.”

This guided tour is free of charge, and no reservations are required. Donations are appreciated .