A ‘Voices from the Past’ Revolutionary War Ghost Walk will take place in the Historic Faison Cemetery, Saturday, Oct. 21, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is free and all are welcome. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|Courtesy photo)
Thomas Hicks, for whom this monument was erected, will be one of the featured ‘ghost’ speakers at a ‘Voices from the Past’ Ghost Walk to be held in the Historic Faison Cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 21, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|Courtesy photo)
Walking through the Historic Faison Cemetery late in the afternoon, you can hear the sounds of dry magnolia leaves crunching beneath your feet, birds chirping in oak trees, and cars rolling past on Main Street. And on one special evening, you’ll be able to hear something more: the voices of Revolutionary War soldiers, as they recall the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, which took place about 20 miles from Wilmington on Feb. 27, 1776.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., the cemetery will host a “Voices from the Past” Ghost Walk, featuring the “ghosts” of five Faison-area men, four who fought in the Revolutionary War — Thomas Wright, William Thomson, Elias Faison, and Nicholas Bowden — and a fifth, Thomas Hicks, who served as a representative to North Carolina’s Provincial Congress. They will be portrayed by a cast of locals, respectively: Brian Bullard, George Carr, Jimmy Tyndall, Wayne Spencer, and Bill Canuette. Skippy Jackson will serve as the evening’s narrator.
The event is sponsored by Faison Improvement Group (FIG) and the Town of Faison. It’s the first ghost walk the town has held in several years, and it’s free (though donations are accepted). All are welcome.
“It really is like a history lesson,” says Faison historian Anne Taylor. “We hope the children will come. That’s one of the main motives to doing it.”
The Historic Faison Cemetery dates back to 1788, starting out as a burying place for the Faison family and later becoming the town cemetery. The oldest part of the cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s in this area that the “ghosts” will educate and entertain; it’s where, for example, Private William Thomson will regale visitors with his telling of the events that led to the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, and Elias Faison will share the harrowing details of the battle. Captain Nicholas Bowden will delve into its long-term impact and will go on to describe other N.C. battles. Among the old granite stones and marble monuments, in the midst of magnolia, oak and cedar trees, history will come alive.
Historic Faison Cemetery is located on East Main St. (NC Hwy 403).
Any donations made to FIG during the event will be used to help increase and ensure the town’s economic vitality.
