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Dine with the Dead: Cemetery Customs and Traditions of Days Gone By

Event Details

October 4th at 11:00am – 1:00pm

McLean County Museum of History

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Dine with the Dead: Cemetery Customs and Traditions of Days Gone By

Enjoying a picnic in a cemetery was not always a taboo activity. Quite the contrary—a graveside lunch was a leisure activity for many. People often dined while visiting their dearly departed, and city residents regularly took advantage of cemeteries for strolls and carriage rides too. Beginning in the mid-1800s, cemeteries expanded beyond the confines of churchyards filled with foreboding monuments that reminded us to fear death and not to sin, and evolved into attractive gardens located outside of cities designed with relaxation and reflection in mind.

In the spirit (pun intended) of the age, on Saturday, October 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. enjoy a picnic lunch on the beautiful grounds of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery (one of Bloomington’s oldest cemeteries) and embark on a one-hour guided tour to learn about funerary customs of the Victorian-era, explore the types of monuments that populate the cemetery, and hear stories of some of the McLean County citizens who reside there. Candace Summers, Senior Director of Education at the McLean County Museum of History, will facilitate the tour. Come experience how cemetery life is for the living!

Tickets are $30 for the general public and $28 for members of the Museum. Tickets will be available for purchase through out website beginning August 1. Tickets include boxed lunch, water/lemonade, and one-hour walking tour through Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, located at 305 E. Miller Street. Participation is limited to 30 people. Please dress for the weather and walking. We will walk approximately one mile over a one-hour period, standing and stopping between various sites. The tour will begin and end at the entrance to the cemetery with lunch immediately following the tour.

This program is being held in conjunction with our current display Mourning in McLean: The Story of Death, Grieving, and Funerary Customs in McLean County, which will be up through November 21, 2025. Major support for this curated display is provided by East Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, with a special thanks to our Additional Contributions Sponsor, Evergreen Memorial Cemetery for helping the Museum host this event. For more information or questions, please contact the Education Department at education@mchistory.org or 309-827-0428.

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Dine with the Dead: Cemetery Customs and Traditions of Days Gone By

Enjoying a picnic in a cemetery was not always a taboo activity. Quite the contrary—a graveside lunch was a leisure activity for many. People often dined while visiting their dearly departed, and city residents regularly took advantage of cemeteries for strolls and carriage rides too. Beginning in the mid-1800s, cemeteries expanded beyond the confines of churchyards filled with foreboding monuments that reminded us to fear death and not to sin, and evolved into attractive gardens located outside of cities designed with relaxation and reflection in mind.

In the spirit (pun intended) of the age, on Saturday, October 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. enjoy a picnic lunch on the beautiful grounds of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery (one of Bloomington’s oldest cemeteries) and embark on a one-hour guided tour to learn about funerary customs of the Victorian-era, explore the types of monuments that populate the cemetery, and hear stories of some of the McLean County citizens who reside there. Candace Summers, Senior Director of Education at the McLean County Museum of History, will facilitate the tour. Come experience how cemetery life is for the living!

Tickets are $30 for the general public and $28 for members of the Museum. Tickets will be available for purchase through out website beginning August 1. Tickets include boxed lunch, water/lemonade, and one-hour walking tour through Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, located at 305 E. Miller Street. Participation is limited to 30 people. Please dress for the weather and walking. We will walk approximately one mile over a one-hour period, standing and stopping between various sites. The tour will begin and end at the entrance to the cemetery with lunch immediately following the tour.

This program is being held in conjunction with our current display Mourning in McLean: The Story of Death, Grieving, and Funerary Customs in McLean County, which will be up through November 21, 2025. Major support for this curated display is provided by East Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, with a special thanks to our Additional Contributions Sponsor, Evergreen Memorial Cemetery for helping the Museum host this event. For more information or questions, please contact the Education Department at education@mchistory.org or 309-827-0428.