Join us from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM as we present “Music for Henry’s Wake”. The unfortunate death of Henry Fanthorp on October 31, 1867, proprietor of one of Texas’ most successful Stagecoach Inns reminds us of the fragile state of life in the 19th century. This famous innkeeper and his wife were but a small portion of the souls who met their demise at Fanthorp’s Stagecoach inn. Join us on October 27 as we experience the rituals of death and the somber music of the 19th century presented by Roseville Fair Old time String Band.

Death was a more constant presence in the mid-nineteenth century than it is today. Most places lacked reliably clean drinking water, and antibiotics were unheard of. Fire was a common threat, because wood or coal stoves or open fire places heated people’s homes and could cause burns that lead to horrible infections and death. Twentieth century Americans rarely have to directly confront the facts of mortality. Death in our society is largely confined to the elderly and most deaths take place not in homes but in hospitals.

During Henry and Rachel Fanthorp’s lifetime many Texans who suffered grief following the death of loved ones found consolation in Spiritualism-the belief that the spirits of the dead survive and can communicate with the living through spirit writing, table tapings, ouija boards, rapping, and materialization of spirits in the flesh. Join us for a new look at the old customs of death and dying in 19th century Texas.

It’s a unique event the whole family will remember and enjoy.