Cemetery Tour Planned, A peek at the past at the Potter's Field

Columbus may, at times, seem like a staid town, but it has had its share of the mysterious and macabre. A perusal through “Potter’s Field” ledger in the City Clerk’s office at city hall makes that very evident.

This ledger was created and has been maintained by the clerk since the 1860s. Included in the ledger is the grave marker number, the name of the deceased, date of birth (if known), date of death, and birthplace. Until the 1930s, an additional column was maintained. This column is entitled “Remarks” and it lists the cause of death, varying from the mundane to murder.

Many of the unfortunate were killed by trains, horses, or by drowning. Others died of “liver complaint”, “Dropsy,” “Consumption,” “Whooping Cough,”“Typhoid fever” and “Bright’s Disease.” Few died of “Old Age.”

Unusual listings in the “Remarks” column include “Killed by Indians,”, “Accidentally Shot-died in jail,” and “Suicide”. One of the more sobbering listings was penned on December 12, 1870. The clerk wrote, “Unknown (Blackman) Negro found on R.R… Horribly mutilated and cut to pieces, supposed to have fallen off the cars on previous night. Found by section men going to their work in the morning.”

A June 20, 1885 listing includes “Unknown Middle Age man… Killed near depot on R.R. track. Nothing found on his person but the Omaha Bee.”

Re-enactors portraying a select number of the deceased will use first-person narratives, many of which were written by Central Community College students from Kathy Ewers’ “creative writing” class. These students fleshed out what little is known about the paupers and unfortunates buried in the Potter’s Field. Irene O’Brien and Robert Trautwein have also written narratives. Whenever possible, local newspaper articles written at the time of the death have been consulted for an accurate portrayal.

In some cases, the re-enactors will be the student who wrote the narrative. In other cases, local thespians will share their talents.

The re-enactors will stand beside the actual graves of the persons they are portraying. All graves are located in the Potter’s Field. This area of the Columbus Cemetery is to the north of the main entrance. The original burial area runs from the west to the east with the earliest burials to the west, alongside 12th Avenue. Seven bodies are buried in each row.

The “Potter’s Field” records from the City Clerk’s office is now on line and can be found at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~neplatte/vitals/potters.html

The name “Potter’s Field” is derived from the Gospel of Matthew. After Judas Iscariot betrays Christ, and before he hangs himself, he repents and returns his payment of 30 pieces of silver to the priests. They called the coins “blood money” and did not want to put them in the temple treasury. Instead, they used the money to buy “the potter’s field” as a burial place for foreigners (Mathew 27: 6 - 7). This land may have been unsuitable for cultivation because of its clay content and used only by potters to dig for clay.

The tour will held be on Sunday, October 28th, at 3:00 p.m. Proper cemetery etiquette will be observed. A $3 admission fee will be charged and only fifty tickets will be sold. Tickets may be purchased in advance only at the Columbus Public Library. In case of inclement weather, the re-enactors will carry out their portrayals in the Library’s Art Gallery.