Earl Bennet wanted to get people outside.
The first dean of the University of Idaho College of Science, Bennet said he spent most of his days in the great outdoors of central Idaho, a passion that eventually led him to the Palouse.
“I know parts of central Idaho better than the back of my own hand, maybe even better then downtown Moscow,” Bennet said.
To move away from the stereotype of antisocial geologist, Bennet took it upon himself to engage with his community. His latest endeavor will take patrons on a bus tour to some of the area’s most notable cemeteries — just in time for the Halloween season.
The tour, which will run through Latah County’s historic churches and cemeteries, will visit towns such as Cordelia, Genesee and Bethany.
Bennet said he found his home at the University of Idaho as it was his final stop getting his last degree. Bennett was the last dean of the Mines College and the first dean of the College of Science.
Bennet said he wanted to take his knowledge of geology and Idaho and turn into something that interacts more with people. So, when he was offered to conduct the LCHS tour, he couldn’t say no.
One of the first stops on the tour is the Moscow Cemetery, which is the largest cemetery in Latah county. The area is rumored to be haunted in the Catholic portion, Bennett said.
“The cemeteries in Latah County are made so that the heads of the tombs face to the east, so that when the second coming happens they are facing the lord,” he said. “Though if someone was an awful convict or even worse a prostitute, they would be turned the opposite way.”
Mary Reed, the former director of the LCHS, will be a guest speaker on the bus tour, talking specifically during the stop at the Moscow Cemetery, where the oldest section was made in the late 1870s.
“I think a lot of times what has happened so many years ago is reflected in how we live today,” Reed said.
She said life was different in Moscow at this time, and when someone died, there would be more than a 100 people attending a person’s funeral, even complete strangers.
“The ordinary lives of people and how close knit the community was at that time, people knew each other,” Bennett said. “That’s a dynamic I don’t think we have anymore because most of us are outsiders.”
The tours will leave from Moscow’s Methodist Church at 8 a.m., returning at 5 p.m. Lunch is included in the ticket price and will be at the Brass Lantern, a restaurant in Genesee.
If anyone wants to reserve a spot on the trip, they can call 208-882-1004 or email [email protected].
For LCHS members the trip cost $50 dollars and $60 for non-members.
Ticket revenue will go toward restoring historical buildings throughout Latah County, including the McConnell Mansion, Bennett said.
“It’s a great introduction to the southern Latah county area,” he said. “And you’ll learn a lot more about Moscow than churches and cemeteries.”
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee