Paris, Tenn.–Mark Johnson of Paris captivated visitors Saturday, top photo, with his telling of the “Bloody Monday” duels in downtown Paris at the turn of the century at the second annual “Tales From The Crypt” at the historic Paris City Cemetery.
A steady stream of hundreds of local history lovers heard this year’s tales of the lives of 15 local luminaries who are buried in the city’s oldest cemetery, from governors to mayors to Congressmen and millionaires. And, there were a few ne’er-do-wells included for good measure. The history of the African-American section of the city cemetery also was presented.
In other photos, Ray Harding and his wife Noragene portrayed former Mayor Frank McNeill and his wife, along with the Hardings’ vintage automobile which also just happened to have belonged to Mayor McNeill, and Jim Atkins portrayed E.W. Grove, one of Paris’ earliest millionaires, who founded the Paris Medicine Co. (Shannon McFarlin photos).
