How WWI and the Influenza Pandemic Changed Victorian Mourning Practices

The Noble House, where I work as a docent, puts out a bi-annual newsletter, and my boss has asked me to write articles along the theme of whatever our display is each year. We are doing A House in Mourning: Victorian Funerals this year, so last spring, she asked me to write an article about Lincoln, the Civil War, and embalming. This fall, she asked me what I would like to write about, and I suggested the topic of how WWI and the Influenza outbreak affected Victorian mourning practices. I see parallels between then and now.

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Lincoln, the Civil War, and Embalming

My boss at the Noble House back in Door County is putting together the spring newsletter, and she asked me to write an article for it. Our tour this summer is going to be A House In Mourning: Victorian Funerals so she gave me the assignment of writing about embalming during the Civil War. Spoiler alert: If you are squeamish, this might not be a good article for you to read!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Champoeg State Park was going to be full from tonight through Saturday night when Wendy first made a reservation for us this last week.  By the time I got on last night to make a reservation beginning December 1st, the park was full until the 8th.  That’s what procrastination gets you! Continue reading

From Pelham, AL

It’s not easy sleeping in a cabin with a hard mattress and two cats who are loose around you all night.  By the time morning rolled around, we were ready to get out of there.  It took three trips over to where our RV was for Mark to transport the cats and our stuff back, and the second time he returned to the cabin he told me that the part for our RV had just come in.  By the time I was able to go over, the guys were saying the RV would be done in an hour and a half.  Mark and I decided to check out the town while we waited.  There wasn’t much to the town, but we found this beautiful field: Continue reading