Our third annual Mourning Society Members Picnic will take place at the O’Fallon lot at Bellefontaine Cemetery on Saturday May 17 starting at 11:30 AM. Attendees should bring their own picnic and are encouraged to get creative with their period 1860s through 1910s picnic set-ups and clothing but this is not required. You can also join us in your street clothes with paper plates.

• We will be playing picnic games and telling stories

• Please bring your own lunch and blanket

• You can dress in any era or in street clothes

• Prizes will be provided for the best picnic, best story and game champion

• Folding wooden chairs will be available for anyone who needs one

If you are not a member and would like to participate please contact us.

Explore the world of Victorian scents with the Mourning Society of St. Louis; Saturday, June 21, 2025; free with Garden admission; 11:00am-4:00pm. This event is a collaboration with the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

The Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum is one of the historic structures on the grounds of the Garden, and features the special exhibition: Smelling the Bouquet: Plants and Scents in the Garden opening May 2, 2025.

The Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum

Join us for this special event at the Bissell House as we cover a timeline of spirit communication in the 19th century from the early spirit rapping cases to automatic writing, dark séances and spirit cabinets. We can't promise any real spirits but we can guarantee you'll learn something new. This peek at Victorian Spiritualism has limited availability.

Please note that session times mark the start of a guided tour, not an open house. Guests should arrive prior their tour times to account for check-in. The General Daniel Bissell House is located at 10225 Bellefontaine Rd., St. Louis, MO 63137. Call (314) 615-8884 or email KPlunkett@stlouiscountymo.gov for more information.

Find out more about the Mourning Society

St Louis County Parks

Image courtesy of Curt Dennison

Consolations of Memory isn’t quite like all the other fall cemetery tours. Rather than portraying the spirits of those buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery we portray the living, breathing people of the era who were left behind to mourn the loss of a loved one.

This year’s event will feature A short walking tour of the historic Lindell section of Bellefontaine Cemetery followed by a reenactment of an 1860s funeral, procession and burial service.

This is a free event. There are three different tour times from which you can choose. Registration is required, so please check back later to sign up!

Find out more about the Mourning Society

Bellefontaine Cemetery

Image courtesy of Curt Dennison

Experience the Campbell House period rooms dimmed to gaslight brightness and draped for mourning. Guests get the rare opportunity to walk through the Campbell House at night and learn about 19th century funeral customs and mourning.

The tour begins with Robert Campbell's 1879 wake in the parlor and continues throughout the rooms of the Campbell House covering a host of topics including mourning clothing, memorial jewelry, dying at home, post-mortem photography and more.

Find out more about the Mourning Society

The Campbell House

Image courtesy of Jennifer Perkins

Join us for A Haunted Christmas at the Bissell House as we bring the tradition of telling ghostly tales by the fireside back from the dead.

This event is a guided tour of the historic General Daniel Bissell House. Guests will be treated to spooky holiday tales throughout the house, presentations on the history of 19th Century Christmas traditions, parlor games and more.

Refreshments will be available. Space is limited, pre-registration is encouraged. Please note that session times mark the start of a guided tour, not an open house. Guests should arrive prior to their tour times to account for check-in. The General Daniel Bissell House is located at 10225 Bellefontaine Rd., St. Louis, MO 63137.

Call (314) 615-8884 or email KPlunkett@stlouiscountymo.gov for more information

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Find out more about the Mourning Society

St Louis County Parks

Image courtesy of Jennifer Perkins