Cemeteries as we know them today came about in the 1830’s.  Prior to that, the dead were typically buried in churchyards and backyards.  But with this change, the often elaborate planning of cemeteries resembled park settings, where people went to picnic, hunt, have races…and commune with the dead.  Cemeteries were filled with benches and in the absence of museums and galleries and botanical gardens, featured beautiful sculptures and horticultural art.  Yet during times of pandemic, cemeteries were places where disease and its victims gathered…kept separate from living spaces.  These dichotomies both drew people to cemeteries and pushed them away.  Join Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan as they interview Graham Perry, Historic Preservation Specialist with the Tennessee Historical Commission.