The Lehighton Cemetery will mark its 150th year anniversary this month with “Songs and Stories in the Mausoleum” at 2 p.m. Sept. 29.

Founded in 1968, the Lehighton Cemetery has been a resting place for generations and is filled with history and stories. The cemetery and the Lehighton Area Heritage Alliance have been celebrating these stories for several years now by offering cemetery walks and storytelling at the cemetery.

“This is a brand-new event,” said Kathy Long, who has helped to organize each of the walks and will provide the “stories” for the sesquicentennial event. “It’s a beautiful mausoleum, but not many people get to go inside. It’s not like it’s opened every day for the public.”

She noted that access to the mausoleum is usually reserved for those who have loved ones in the mausoleum, and that it is also open during cemetery walks.

“There are stained glass windows and marble and granite. It’s stunning. It’s very high end. It’s beautiful in there, and we’re going to make it come alive with songs and stories,” she said.

Long’s folk tales of some of the cemetery’s “residents” will be supplemented by a reading from Mike Ebbert’s history of the Lehighton Cemetery. Songs will be provided by folk musician Dave Matsinko, including traditional folk songs, mining ballads, and railroad, canal and river songs.

Long hopes the event will be similar to the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico, during which people celebrate their loved ones.

“During the Day of the Dead, they go into the cemetery and have picnics on the graves of their loved ones. They have a wonderful time remembering the ones they have lost,” she said. “We’re going to be celebrating the lives of the people in the cemetery. It’s not anything spooky — it’s historical in nature.”

Long enjoys walking through the cemetery as she prepares for these events, looking at the generations of neighbors and friends and family who are resting near each other.

“There’s a lot of history in there. It’s almost like a library of people’s lives,” she said. “It’s not just the people, but the events and places in town that I can connect this history to.”

“If you live in this area, it’s nice to know the history of the area. If you have relatives in the cemetery, it’s nice to know that they are in good company. Maybe you don’t even know the history of your relatives and this would be a good way to learn more about the people in this town,” Long said. “It gives you roots. It gives you a sense of belonging. You belong somewhere, and that’s a great thing to know.

“In order to preserve our history, people need to have roots,” she added. “We want to save our history and make sure that the young people have access to it. If you give people an inkling that they have a reason to care for the past, they will not be so quick to get rid of it and want to save it, too.”

Seating in the mausoleum is limited. Tickets are $10 each, to benefit the Lehighton Area Heritage Alliance. Advanced ticket purchases are encouraged to ensure that enough chairs are available in the mausoleum and can be purchased by calling 610-377-4403. A limited number of same-day tickets will be available at the cemetery.