Grave Objections: A History of Body Snatching for Science at Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will explore the dark history of body snatching in “Grave Objections: A History of Body Snatching for Science” on Tuesday, October 20, from 6 pm to 8 pm. The Halloween-season lecture will be presented by James Henry, a New York City tour guide and nine-year veteran docent at Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery.

The presentation will examine the more than 100-year history of body snatching, when professional “resurrectionists” secretly exhumed corpses to supply medical schools with cadavers for training. The practice disproportionately targeted marginalized communities and sparked public outrage and violent “anatomy riots,” including New York City’s 1788 uprising. The lecture will also explore the measures families took to protect their loved ones’ remains and how changes in anatomy laws and medical practices eventually brought the illicit trade to an end. Light refreshments will be served following the presentation.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is located at 295 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT. Pricing and ticket information are available through the museum. For more information, call 203-838-9799.