This year’s guided walking tours of Atmore will kick off Saturday at the Williams Station Cemetery on Carney Street.

The tour of the historic graveyard will be the first of four to be held throughout the summer and cover historic buildings and locations all over town, according to Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce Directory Sheryl Vickery.

“This will be the fourth year that we’ve done this,” Vickery said. “I’m hoping there will be a really good turnout.”

The guided tours are part of a statewide program that began in 2010 when the Alabama Bureau of Tourism celebrated The Year of Alabama Small Towns and Downtowns.

“We are the only state in the nation to offer something like this,” Vickery said. “We are one of 22 towns across Alabama that will be conducting tours.”

Saturday’s tour will be hosted by Nancy Karrick, who has done research on, not only the people buried in the cemetery, but many of the markings on the tombstones.

“People can learn about why, for instance, there might be a hand pointing towards the sky on a headstone,” Vickery said.

The tour will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. at the cemetery and is free of charge.

“It’s a great way to get people out on a Saturday and to learn a little bit about the history of their town,” Vickery said. “I hear people say ‘I’ve always wanted to know this, or I’ve always wanted to know that,’” she said. “If you’ve always wanted to know something, this is your opportunity to find out about it.”

For more information on Saturday’s tour, as well as tours to come throughout the summer, calls may be directed to the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce at (251) 368-3305.