Three Groton historians will lead an Oct. 13 walking tour of the Starr Burying Ground, resting place of many who played important roles in town history – including nine soldiers slain at Fort Griswold.

The cemetery began as the Starr family burial plot in the early 1700s and now has more than 3,400 graves. The 90-minute tour, sponsored by the Friends of Fort Griswold Battlefield, will begin at 2 p.m.

Groton Town Historian Jim Streeter, Leslie M. Evans of the Avery-Copp House Museum, and Barbara Nagy, former administrator of the Hempsted Houses in New London, will lead the walk. It will feature the stories of some of the cemetery’s most prominent “residents,” Grotonites who led lives notable for their adventures, good fortune, and altruism on tragedy. They include:

• The men killed at Fort Griswold.
• The family for whom Robert E. Fitch High School was named.
• The Avery and Copp families
• Inuit guides who were introduced to Groton by whaling Capt. Sidney Budington in the 1860s.
• Patriot Anna Warner Bailey.
• 1890s peace activist Ida Whipple Benham and her husband, inventor Elijah B. Benham.
• Adventurer James Buddington, who found and salvaged the HMS Resolute in 1855; the Resolute desk in the Oval Office is made from its timbers.
• Commercial fishermen William H. Holloway and Martin Van Burden Holloway, lifelong friends and adventurers who died within a few hours of each other in 1910.

The cost of the tour is $20 non-members, $10 members. Due to an earlier error, this was listed incorrectly in some places. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Fort Griswold Battlefield. Space is limited. Registration is required.

The Starr Burying Ground is at 88 Lestertown Road in Groton. Parking instructions will be provided upon arrival. Rain date is October 20. The tour will include some walking over uneven terrain. Please wear suitable shoes and bring a jacket if the weather is cool.

Please reserve your spot by completing the form below.