AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The Panhandle Plains Historical Museum is hosting the Llano Cemetery Tour by Twilight this Saturday, which focuses on the historic gravesites and the stories of the people beneath.
The first girl born in Amarillo is buried in Llano Cemetery, and the first person to be buried in Llano Cemetery lies below a headstone so old it is decomposing.
"It's an interesting story and there are interesting people buried there," said PPHM Programs Assistant Elaina Cunningham. "Our main goal is to tell the stories of the people that are buried there. We're very respectful of the cemetery and it's just a nice fall afternoon to spend learning and gaining knowledge about the people that came before us."
Some plots in the cemetery remain segregated as they were fifty years ago. One plot holds the markers of those who died from the influenza outbreak in 1918.
"There are a number of gypsy burials in Llano Cemetery and they represent some traditions that may be a little bit different from what we're used to," PPHM Special Projects Coordinator Becky Livingston said.
The tour will be taking place from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Admission is $5 per person; children ages three and under are free. Event hosts ask that tourists enter the cemetery from the 34th St. entrance.
"We think it's important to understand where you've come from in order to facilitate where you're going to," said Livingston. "...the people who came before us and built our community, what contributions they made, what things they did to build their community- we just think these are important things to understand."
