Mourning in Kentucky in the 1800s

Mourning the dead was an important part of life in the 19th century. Cynthia Williams Resor, Ph.D., will begin her time-travel tour of this culture of mourning in Kentucky cemeteries by examining the symbols on tombstones and their meanings. Explore customs and beliefs associated with death through the eyes of 19th-century writers and artifacts of mourning such as hair mourning jewelry, stationery, clothing. Finally, we'll visit the new funeral parlors of the late 1800s and memorial park cemeteries of the early 1900s to discover why mourning customs changed.

This virtual program was booked through the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau and done through Zoom on October 12 at 5:00 and live streamed to the library's Facebook page.