With its giant leafy trees and ancient stone sculptures, the Charles Baber Cemetery in Pottsville has the charm of a city park, especially on a sunny day such as Sunday.
An event to celebrate its gardens and history, the 14th annual Baber Appreciation Day family picnic drew more than 100 people Sunday, according to J. Robert Zane, Pottsville, a historian and member of the Charles Baber Preservation Trust.
"It's a good crowd, considering there are other things happening in the area today," Zane said.
Cynthia and William Sowers, Auburn, did the tour as Zane pointed out historical monuments and Joe Orlowsky, chairman of the Pottsville Shade Tree Commission, introduced them to some of the cemetery's notable trees.
"We are focusing on one of the oldest sections of the cemetery, the original Mount Laurel cemetery which is the northeast portion," Zane said.
The first monument erected in the cemetery is there. Accented with a statue of a woman in mourning, it's the grave of "Elizabeth Weaver Bowen, wife of Eli Bowen" who died at age 24 on April 7, 1853, according to the stone.
"It's a bit macabre," Zane's wife, Ellen, said as she examined the details on the monument, which included an image of an hour glass to represent the sands of time.
"Eli put this up in honor of his wife. We're thinking she died in childbirth. We don't know. Eli was the editor for The Pottsville Journal for a period of time. Before that, he was at The Columbia Spy newspaper in New York and he hired Edgar Allen Poe to be one of his journalists. But Poe never finished his assignments because he wanted cash advancements but Eli wouldn't pay him," Zane said.
It was the first time the Sowers family did the tour.
"We heard about it through the newspaper and from friends. It was a nice day and it was the first time we had the opportunity to come out here and learn some history," Cynthia Sowers said.
The Third Brigade Band, Pottsville, performed in concert for the event. Selections included "Valdres Norwegian March" by Johannes Hanssen, "Turn Yourself Around" by Dave Wolpe and "Swingin' Songs of Yesterday" arranged by Bob Lowden.
Volunteers ran food stands. There was a feast served cafeteria-style, which included hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob, salad and yellow watermelon. The price was a "good will offering," Zane said.
There was also a bake sale with treats that included peanut butter chip cookies and pumpkin spice cake. These goodies were sold at fixed prices.
Visitors included Sharon Porcari, Pottsville, and her granddaughter, Emily Hidalgo, 17, a senior at Pottsville Area High School.
"I come out to this event when I can. Sometimes it conflicts with other things I have going on. I was glad to see it was being held on this date. And today it's absolutely a perfect day. It feels like autumn," Porcari said.
Fall for 2012 begins in the Northern Hemisphere on Sept. 22, according to the website for The Old Farmers Almanac at almanac.com.