After a 7-year hiatus, the Cheshire Historical Society is reviving the popular Spirits Alive Cemetery Tour on October 2nd and 3rd at Historic Hillside Cemetery.
While we already have the scripts and the volunteer actors, we are essentially starting from scratch for everything else. Previous costumes suffered the ravages of time and hungry moths, so we will have new professionally-designed and sewn costumes this year. We also need to acquire props and lighting materials.
To help us defray some of these re-start-up costs, we are offering sponsorship opportunities to the local business community.
For a $500 donation, we will recognize your support on the ticketing website and on the commemorative t-shirts that our actors and key staff members will be sporting and which will also be made available for purchase by volunteers and community members. Your organization will also receive 2 complimentary tickets (a $50 value) to the tour group of your choice.
In order to advertise your support and provide the complimentary tickets on the ticketing platform, we will need to receive your donation no later than August 13th.
If your organization is not able to make a monetary donation of this size but you would still like to support the return of our lively Spirits, please consider donating a gift card/certificate or product to one of the many Raffle Baskets we will be offering. Or perhaps an entire Raffle Basket, if you have some creative employees!
In advance, we thank the Cheshire business community for the support you have provided to the previous 6 Spirits Alive! Tours, as well as your ongoing support.
The Cheshire Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. EIN # 23-7206063
Cast List for Spirits Alive 2026!
Yes, you read that correctly. Our popular Spirits Alive! Cemetery Tour is being "reanimated" this year.
The auditions took place in May 2026 and both the Spirits and cast have been chosen!
Anna March (1818-1879) will be portrayed by Amanda Salvo
Ralph Lines (1757-1776) will be portrayed by Stephen Holt
Maggie Egan (1872-1888) will be portrayed by Doris Hall
Laura Tuttle (1785-1870) will be portrayed by Rachel Bevins
to be announced
to be announced
to be announced
to be announced
Performances will take place on October 2nd and 3rd. Each performance night will consist of 14 runs of a 10-minute monologue, performed at various stations within Historic Hillside Cemetery.
Spirits Alive Virtual Edition
Important Note: Back in 2020, the popular in-person Spirits Alive Lantern Tour was no longer able to continue live, in person.
The organizers were no longer able to devote the time needed to revive this event (i.e., researching Cheshire history, writing scripts, finding actors, rehearsing, sourcing costumes and props, and then there is all of the ticket sale coordination and staging of the cemetery that must be done and then un-done).
So, these videos were created for your viewing pleasure during the interim.
The Cheshire Historical Society hopes to revive the Spirits Alive Lantern Tour for October 2026.
Welcome to the second video in our Spirits Alive Virtual Edition series:
Welcome to the third video in our Spirits Alive Virtual Edition series:
Welcome to the fourth video in our Spirits Alive Virtual Edition series:
Welcome to the fifth video in our Spirits Alive Virtual Edition series:
Welcome to the sixth (and final) video in our Spirits Alive Virtual Edition series:
Below are some photos from Spirits Alive productions in recent years:
