By Taylor Holcombe
For decades, Phil Richerson has walked the grounds of Oakland Cemetery, drawn to the stories of the people buried there. Today, the Atlanta native shares those stories as a volunteer tour guide and as Victor Kriegshaber during the cemetery’s annual Capturing the Spirit of Oakland event. We caught up with Richerson to talk about storytelling, spirits and the legacies we leave behind.
- What about history captivates you and what do you hope people take away from the stories you tell?
You learn so much from history. You learn how people dealt with various circumstances and about the decisions that affected their lives and legacies. Often I’ll come across a story that relates to my life or someone I know, and it gives me guidance on what I should or shouldn’t do. That’s exactly what I hope the stories do for people: that they’re able to find something in each story they can learn from and relate to.
- When you portray Victor Kriegshaber, how do you prepare?
I research everything that I can find, including old articles and anything that gives me insight into who that person was. Then I try to incorporate their personality into my presentation. What we do is definitely more storytelling. And I’ll share a little secret: every year before the first night of the event, I go to the grave of whoever I’m portraying, tell them I’m going to do my best and hope they’re happy with the way I tell their story.
- You’ve spent plenty of evenings in a cemetery telling ghostly stories. Be honest: do you spook easily?
I don’t spook easily and nothing at Oakland has ever startled me, but don’t get me wrong…I do believe there are spirits. Mayor Woodward may or may not have hit me in the butt with a stick once. But we’re not gonna tell that story.
- If someone has never visited before, what do you hope they experience?
I hope they realize that Oakland’s historical influence reaches way beyond Atlanta. A lot of the people here and what they contributed in life were significant throughout the country and even the world. If they’re on a tour, I hope they experience the knowledge of our volunteer team. All our volunteers tell these stories with so much passion. And I hope people appreciate the beauty! Our grounds teams and preservationists work tirelessly to make Oakland gorgeous for our guests. I think it’s pretty beautiful after 176 years!
- What has spending so much time among these stories taught you about life?
That it doesn’t matter who you are or what your stature is in life. From the poorest person to the richest, from someone no one’s ever heard of to the most famous, we’re all going to pass on. What really matters is what you leave behind, how you’re remembered and how your story is going to be told.
Want to experience a tour with Phil? Sign up for private or group tours at oaklandcemetery.com/tours. You can also see Phil and other volunteers perform during this year’s Capturing the Spirit of Oakland event.