Morbid Obsession is Back! For a different Halloween Experience, take a self-guided, one-of-a-kind tour through the McHenry Mansion where you will experience the Victorian Way of Death including Strange Funeral Customs. Most funerals took place in the family residence. The McHenry’s were no exception. Express your condolences to Mrs. McHenry standing by the open casket of dearly departed Robert McHenry. Learn about the “fashionable disease”— Consumption. For some, consumption or tuberculosis as we call it today, ended in a swift death. For others, it became a lingering illness, and for others, there were no symptoms. (Sound familiar?)

For the Victorians, it was important to remember the dead. This could be done by preserving the deceased’s hair in a locket, brooch, or hair wreath. With the advent of photography, post-mortem photographs were in demand, particularly if no pictures were taken when the person was alive. The bodies were often posed with other family members as if they were alive. A gallery of these photographs awaits you.

The custom of wearing black was a way to let friends and strangers know you had lost a family member. You’ll learn about the rules for appropriate attire.

19th Century embalming alslo came into its own due to the Civil War. See a portable embalming bed and equipment that could be used in the home. You can even see lithographs of major Presidential funerals: Lincoln, Garfield, and Grant.

Then there are the cemeteries, spiritualists, and much more!

The dates are Tuesday, October 24th, Wednesday, October 25th, and Thursday, October 26th, 2023. Tours start at 5:30 p.m., and the last entrance is at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. Purchase tickets on location at McHenry Mansion.