Meet the CT Grave Lady Ruthie

I have a couple of events this summer introducing people from different parts of the country and throughout the world to Connecticut. One of the events I am conducting is a historic tour of Hartford.   I’ve been working on this presentation for a bit and will be delivering it at these events. I have learned a lot in the research process. I did a recent walk through of the tour and included a look see of the Ancient Burial ground in Hartford.

I have often gone to the Ancient Burial Ground throughout my life but the gates had always been locked but on this day the gates were opened. I eagerly walked through and started discovering all the graves for the founding people that settled Hartford. I was approached by a woman asking if I had any questions. Originally I said no, but then I did ask about one when tours of the graveyard are provided. That resulted in an awesome 30 min discussion about the cemetery and some of the local lore of Hartford.

The woman in the picture on the right is Ruthie. She is an expert on ancient burying grounds in the area and refers to herself as the CT Grave Lady. If you do a Google search on CT Grave Lady she has a good presence online and regularly provides talks, workshops, symposiums on local graveyards and preservation of them. She clearly loves what she does and you know it because her enthusiasm for the subject is infectious.  She will do a tour for one of my group tours happening this week. How freakin awesome is that!  I am super excited to learn more about Hartford, the burial ground, and the people buried there. I am sure I will blog on my findings so stay tuned. At any rate meet Ruthie! She’s awesome.