For Victorians, death was a part of life, giving it essential meaning, and they created elaborate rituals around the passing of a loved one. Between 12n and 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22, Historic Jacksonville, Inc. will be offering 1-hour “Victorian Mourning Customs” tours beginning every 20 minutes at Jacksonville's 1870s C.C. Beekman House Museum, located at 470 E. California. The house will be decorated as a Victorian house in mourning— coffin in the parlor, clocks stopped, mirrors draped in black, mourning wreath on the door. Costumed docents will share the fashions, home décor, funeral etiquette, social behavior, and personal mementos that honored the dearly departed in the late 1800s. Tour admission is $10 and reservations are encouraged. Tickets and information are available at
https://www.historicjacksonville.org/victorian-theme-tours/. “Walk ups” are accommodated based on space available.