The Poestenkill Historical Society will meet at 7 pm (note new time) on October 26, at the Poestenkill Town Hall on Rt. 351. Kathy Sheehan, Registrar and Historian at the Rensselaer County Historical Society, will present a program called “Cemeteries and Mourning Customs in Rensselaer County.”
Customs vary between different cultures and evolve over time. Death shadowed every day of life in the 19th century, lurking in every drop of untreated water, disguised in bottles of popular patent medicines, hovering over every scene of childbirth. Victorian society was bound and structured by elaborate rules of etiquette. Anyone who flouted the established rituals and rules of mourning risked scandal and ostracism.
The program is free, and the public is welcome. Refreshments will be provided after the program. For directions, call Patricia at 283-5223.