On Tuesday,
September 10th during Regular
Hours, the Museum of Early Trades
& Crafts will open the new
exhibit Ghosts, Ghouls, & Gravestones: The Trades of Burial.
The
exhibit examines the progression of the burial trade. Passing away from this world was once a
family affair, with immediate members attending to the dying and any funerary
arrangements needed. Over time, the
process spread through the social and economic ties of the community. By 1900, a robust funeral industry had
developed that saw to a family’s every need, providing mourning clothes and
other accoutrements; funeral services
including preparation of the body, coffin or casket; and even digging the
grave, and carving the memorial gravestone.
Meanwhile society had developed strict protocols that dictated the
mourning, though not the grieving, process.
Visitors
will also learn about the different trades that developed around the funeral
industry, including artistic gravestone carving and coffin makers.
This exhibit will remain open
until February 2014. Throughout the exhibit’s duration,
various public programs will take place including cemetery tours and lectures. For
more information visit our website at www.metc.org
or call 973-377-2982. Regular Admission.
Coming Up:
Cemetery Tour: Madison and the Civil War, Saturday, September 14th 2pm
Join
Robert Garman as he gives a tour of Hillside Cemetery in Madison, NJ. Please meet at the cemetery. Advance
registration recommended, call 973-377-2982 x13. Admission
$10 for Non-Members & $5 for Members (includes
Museum admission).
Cemetery Tour: Famous Figures of Madison, Saturday, September 21st 2pm
Join
Robert Garman as he gives a tour of Hillside Cemetery in Madison, NJ. Please meet at the cemetery. Advance
registration recommended, call 973-377-2982 x13. Admission
$10 for Non-Members & $5 for Members (includes
Museum admission).
FREE Exhibit Lecture & Reception, Sunday, September 29th 2 PM
‘Pushing
up Daisies’: American Culture and Death presented by folklorist Elinor
Levy, PhD. Come learn why Americans use
euphemisms historically and in contemporary culture when discussing death. Join us afterwards for the opening reception
of the exhibit Ghosts, Ghouls &
Gravestones. Advance
registration recommended, call 973-377-2982 x13. FREE!
