Our third annual Mourning Society Members Picnic will take place  at the O’Fallon lot at Bellefontaine Cemetery on Saturday September 27, 2025 starting at 11:30 AM. Attendees should bring their own picnic lunch 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 modern picnic supplies.

Even though this is a members' event, it is open to the public if you’d like to join us.. It’s a great chance to meet us if you are interested in joining and want to chat. Space is limited.

Please RSVP here to attend.

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.

Our 2025 event will focus on the burial of Dr. Bernard Farrar, who died in 1849, and was reinterred in Bellefontaine Cemetery in 1862. The tour will include a reenactment of a 19th century burial service and a short walking tour of the Lindell section of the cemetery

Click here to register for this FREE event!

Join this event on Facebook

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.

Click here to get your tickets today!

Find out more about the Mourning Society

The Campbell House

Image courtesy of Jennifer Perkins

Online Event

Are you interested in history, historical clothing and spooky topics? Then the Mourning Society might be for you! We are always on the lookout for new members who want to help us create unique experiences for visitors while dispelling myths and creating a greater understanding of real people in the past.

You can find out more by joining us for our next New Member Orientation on November 8, 2025 at 2pm. This is an online discussion and Q&A about the Mourning Society!  We’ll be covering all of the basics of how our group works, participation guidelines and how to get started building your first period impression. You don’t need to apply to be a member to attend this session, but you do need to register to get the meeting link. Space is limited so register today!

Apply to join the Mourning Society of St Louis

Join the Mourning Society on Saturday December 6, for live demonstrations of 19th Century Christmas Games at Bellefontaine Cemetery at 10AM and 1PM. There will be activities at Hotchkiss Chapel throughout the day:

🎄10:00AM Christmas Games with the Mourning Society

🎄1:00PM Christmas Games with the Mourning Society

Register for theis event here

About A Spirited Holiday Past: Join the historic sites, museums, and homes of Historic Saint Louis as we present a splendid grand tour. Each venue will be decorated with a festive flair for this one-day event. Many sites will also have unique entertainment, whether a costumed skit, music, or seasonal activity.