Explore the Stories Behind the Stones

On Thursday, October 15, through Saturday, October 17, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., join Historic Columbia’s Director of Preservation John Sherrer as he explores downtown graveyards to uncover the roles cabinetmakers, blacksmiths and stonemasons played in 19th-century burial traditions.

Drawing upon extensive material culture and archival research, Monumental Undertakings traces the stories behind the stones and the “architecture” of legacy and memorialization—from the deceased’s last will and testament to the funerary aesthetics of local commercial artisans and businesses involved in nationally marketed funeral products.

Cost: $25 for members; $35 for nonmembers. Location: 1100 Sumter St., Columbia. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit HistoricColumbia.org/events/2026/2026-10/monumental-undertakings.