The topics of death and mourning in the 19th century are featured during Hearthside’s unique exhibit, Gone But Not Forgotten. This former home of Simon E. Thornton gets draped in black and the “household” goes into mourning just as his family did when he died here in 1873. The exhibit is not a spooky Halloween house, but rather a well-researched exhibit focusing on how families dealt with loss during the late 19th century. An extensive display of funerary artifacts, clothing, and customs are presented by our interpreters dressed in their black mourning attire during this fully-guided 90-minute tour.

From the moment you step inside the home, you’ll be transported back in time, just as if the Thornton family were welcoming you to the wake of their dearly departed husband and father. As you journey through three floors of the house, you’ll discover each room filled with exhibits and superstitions about the customs surounding death and mourning in the Victorian era.

The mirrors are covered in black, and the sweet smell of flowers pervade the waking room. The undertaker has come to set up in the master bedroom to prepare the body for its final resting place. A photographer has been hired to capture one last image of the deceased. Special stationery and memorials have been created to notify friends and relatives and to memorialize the deceased. You’ll be taken into the bedroom where Simon died to learn about the embalming process which had only become popular a few years earlier, and see the actual embalming table that he was embalmed on, set up right next to the bed for the procedure. Small funeral biscuits are wrapped and sealed with black wax, ready to give in appreciation to those who come to pay their respects (you and the other visitors to Hearthside for this exhibit.)

Included on display are antique coffins, a collection of various Victorian mourning dresses, bonnets, veils, and other accessories, mourning jewelry made of jet and woven human hair, funeral receipts from local families, and 19th century embalming tools. Post-mortem photographs, and even some which appear to show a few spirits, are displayed. Some of the other topics covered are the 19th century belief in vampires, the fear of being buried alive, and the beginnings of spiritualism.

There are four dates for viewing the exhibit:  October 15, 21, 28, and 29, with options for both a daytime and evening viewings available.  Space is limited for each tour group.  Advance reservation and tickets are REQUIRED.  All tours are the same and each tour lasts 90 minutes. Saturday tours, given in low light, begin every half hour starting at 4:00 with the last at 6:00. Sunday tours begin every half hour starting at 12:30 with the last at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $20; discount for members.  This event is not appropriate for children.  Tickets are non-refundable.