PARTNER EVENT - Marking Memory - Memorials, Symbols and Time

Description

Marking Memory: Memorials, Symbols, and Time will explore different ways of remembering and memorializing the past through two hands-on activities: candle making with memorial symbols and a tree-ring-inspired activity focused on how memories and experiences carry forward over time.

The program is designed to complement the presentation by Krista Horrocks later that evening on cemetery preservation and will offer participants two creative activities that explore different approaches to memorialization.

In the first activity, participants will create intentionally ephemeral memorials through candle making. Participants will incorporate traditional memorial symbols alongside symbols of their own creation, considering how symbols can communicate memory, identity, and meaning. Each participant will be able to take their candle and temporary memorial home with them. 

The second activity offers an alternative approach to memorialization inspired by the growth of tree rings. Rather than using traditional symbols, participants will create a series of rings representing how events and experiences can carry forward, change, or dissipate over time. The activity invites participants to reflect on how individual and collective experiences continue to shape the present and future. 

“Marking Memory” considers the role of cemeteries as places where communities preserve legacies while also asking participants to think creatively about other ways we can understand and represent the past. Cemeteries give us physical places to remember people and stories, but memory can also be carried through symbols, traditions, experiences, and the ways those memories change over time. These activities provide an opportunity for participants to explore those ideas in a personal and hands-on way. 

The program is made possible through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Event Details: 

Marking Memory: Memorials, Symbols, and Time 

Thursday, October 1, 2026, 5:30–6:30 p.m. 

Ross County Historical Society, 45 W. 5th St., Chillicothe, Ohio