TIFTON— Intrigued by historic cemeteries and the many tales they tell? Join Barbara Clark for the History After Dark: Victorian Mourning and Grave Symbology program from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture (GMA).
Clark, the Director of North Central & Northwest Regions of the Florida Public Archaeology Network, said that guests will learn about mourning practices unique to the Victorian period. The Museum’s Wesley Chapel will be transformed into a representative mourning setting and display heretofore unseen mourning artifacts.
Clark will provide an in-depth exploration of the unique mourning practices and cultures from the Victorian era. The program will discuss everything from mourning jewelry, including jet and hair jewelry, to Victorian mortuary photography.
If you have ever walked through a cemetery and wondered what some of the symbols mean, Clark will also discuss how historic cemeteries can tell stories about the people buried there and the communities where they lived.
GMA Historic Village Supervisor Gina Beckman said, “We are excited to host Ms. Clark at the GMA again. We were fortunate to partner with her and the Florida Public Archaeology Network earlier this year to host a historic graves preservation workshop in response to numerous questions from the public on how to care for older grave sites. The positive feedback from that program spurred interest in exploring further the unique mourning cultures and grave symbols used at the turn of the century.”
The Victorian Mourning and Grave Symbology program is part of the 2019 “History After Dark” program series which provides guests the opportunity to experience the Museum after hours. The series features evening programs throughout the year on a variety of topics and immersive activities.
Tickets for the event are $10 per person and are now available for purchase online at victorianmourning.eventbrite.com and at the GMA Country Store. Tickets may be purchased in person or over the phone at the Country Store. All tickets must be purchased in advance. No tickets will be sold at the event.
For more information, interested persons can contact the Country Store at (229) 391-5205.
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