Museum of Cornish Life & Helston Old Chapel
From Helston to Montana’s Gold Throne!
TREVOW Helston CIC commissioned Museum of Cornish Life in autumn 2024 to research some of the headstones at the Old Chapel in Helston, to reveal some of the lost histories and untold stories.
A team of museum volunteers explored the historic part of the graveyard and spent a couple of months researching some of the people buried there. A short list was drawn up and then a panel chose the first story to bring to life; Eliza Gilbert.
Eliza was a Helston daughter who became the queen of the American gold mining world. This two-episode performance was based on the real story of Eliza Gilbert whose life took her from 1840s Church Street, Helston to the wealthiest square mile in America.
Professional theatre-makers collaborated to create an intimate and engaging live event of this discovered life from long ago. In a unique approach to storytelling the first act, was staged on 26 February 2025 at the Museum of Cornish Life, it shared with the audience Eliza’s childhood and early life. The second act was performed on 27 February 2025 at Helston Old Chapel and told the story of their later life and death.
Eliza’s story is the start of Trevow Helston’s long term project UNTOLD: Helston’s Unexpected Stories which will reimagine how to tell the story of historic Helston. The aim of the project is to discover unexpected, surprising and remarkable stories from those at rest in the historic section of Helston Cemetery.
This project has received funding from Cornwall Council’s Community Levelling Up Programme from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund as well as from FEAST; FEAST is a programme to make great art happen across Cornwall, investment for FEAST comes from Arts Council England and Cornwall Council.
