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UID:riverbender-event-46863-20241003T100000@riverbender.com
DTSTAMP:20261110T041123Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241003T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241006T150000
SUMMARY:Mourning Col. Stephenson: A Special Exhibit
LOCATION:1820 Col. Benjamin Stephenson House\, 409 S. Buchanan St.\, E
dwardsville\, IL 62025
DESCRIPTION:During the month of October\, the 1820 Col. Benjamin Steph
enson House commemorates a pivotal event in the life of the Stephenson
family&mdash\;the death of Col. Stephenson on October 10\, 1822. Spec
ial exhibits set up in each room of the house represent the final days
of Stephenson&rsquo\;s life and the period immediately following his 
death.\n\nNursing and funerary practices of that time varied greatly f
rom what we would recognize today. Civilian hospitals as such did not 
exist. We believe\, based on store records of medicine purchased just 
days before Stephenson&rsquo\;s death\, that Stephenson was treated at
home for malaria. The main bedchamber of the house is therefore set a
s a sick room\, where and family would have cared for Stephenson in hi
s final days.\n\nImmediately following his passing\, Stephenson&rsquo\
;s body would have been prepared for respectful display and burial. Mo
dern embalming had not been invented\, and no funeral businesses are k
nown to have existed in the Edwardsville area. In the common practice 
of the time\, family and servants would instead have prepared the body
\; a coffin made or\, in this case\, ordered from a local craftsman\; 
and the deceased laid out for visitation in the home itself. The parlo
r of Stephenson House has been staged to show this ritual.\n\nDeep mou
rning followed the death of a family member\, involving both the appea
rance and the public behavior of the family. Items in the main bedcham
ber\, the children&rsquo\;s bedroom\, and the servants&rsquo\; quarter
s show the family&rsquo\;s participation in this elaborate rite\, part
s of which could last more than a year. \n\nFinally\, as part of the h
arsh economic reality of Stephenson&rsquo\;s death\, assessors intrude
d on the family home and conducted an exhaustive inventory of possessi
ons\, preparing for a public auction only weeks after Stephenson&rsquo
\;s passing. The dining room is staged to show this process\, which oc
curred on November 25\, 1822.\n\nJoin us in commemorating the life and
passing of Col. Benjamin Stephenson. The exhibit runs from October 3-
31. Tours of the exhibit are available Thursday through Saturday\, 10 
a.m.-3 p.m. and Sunday\, 12-3 p.m.\n\nEvent details: https://www.river
bender.com/events/details.cfm?seriesid=46863
URL:https://www.riverbender.com/events/details.cfm?seriesid=46863
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