Oakwood Cemetery Tour is a theatrical, informative treat

What do a captain in the Civil War, a three-time America’s Cup contender, and the woman who voiced Betty Boop all have in common? They are all laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery.

The cemetery, which is located at 3 Moffitt Boulevard in Bay Shore and was founded in 1880, is the location of the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet’s annual cemetery tour.

Over 200 people were greeted by tour guides dressed in period costumes on Sept. 15 as they flocked to the cemetery. Four different groups were led on a tour throughout the cemetery, making stops to meet the “spirits” that lie beneath.

Performers on each stop of the tour gave intricate recollections of their successes and tribulations while they were alive.

Among them was Mortimer Ruggles, who joined the Confederacy in the Civil War. He was accused of aiding and abetting the escape of John Wilkes Booth and David Herold following the April 14, 1865 assassination of President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater. While he feared he would be hanged, he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson after swearing his allegiance to the Union and ultimately settled in New York.

Attendees also met Triphena Jarvis, a schoolteacher in Islip in the 19th century. She assisted those suffering from the loss of a loved one in accepting the mourning rituals of the late Victorian era.

Following the mourning traditions of Queen Victoria, women bore the greatest burden of these customs. They wore heavy wool fabric, black clothing and heavy veils of black crepe, also known as “widow’s weeds.” Widows were expected to wear this clothing for up to three years. Essentially, women were restricted to church services only and no socializing at all.

A highlight of the tour was meeting Margie Hine Heidtmann, who was the first and longest serving voice artist for Betty Boop. While touring as a vaudeville actress and singer in the late 1920s, a Fleischer Studios’ vocalist discovered Heidtmann and recommended she play Betty Boop, the vintage flapper-era iconic cartoon character. 

During her career, she also added and voiced the characters of Olive Oyl and Swee’ Pea in the “Popeye the Sailorman” cartoon series. Heidtmann even met her first husband, Winfred B. “Jack” Mercer, at Fleischer Studios, as he was the voice of Popeye.

Along the way, attendees not only learned about individuals laid to rest in the cemetery, but the history of Oakwood and cemeteries at large. Superintendent of Oakwood Cemetery Joe Dolan shared that in the 19th century, most people buried their loved ones in churchyards or in plots on family land. After the Civil War, with the coming of the Long Island Rail Road and the development it fostered, there arose a need for an appropriate location for a cemetery in Islip and Bay Shore, as churchyards filled and family burial grounds gave way to development.

In 1880, 13 businessmen from Islip and Bay Shore contributed $100 each to buy 40 acres in order to establish a non-denominational cemetery on the border of the hamlets. In its 140-year history, nearly 19,000 souls have been buried here.

If you are interested in the historical significance of the hamlet of Islip and would like to meet like-minded people, consider joining the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet. To learn more, visit https://isliphamlethistory.org.