Join State Archaeologist Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni and Education Director Irene McHugh for a tour of historic Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford. In the summer of 1863, Hartford citizens desired a new type of burial ground — satisfactory to its practical as well as aesthetic Victorian-era requirements. A group of prominent Hartford citizens met to discuss establishing a new cemetery, including landscaping pioneer Jacob Weidenmann who had designed Hartford’s Bushnell Park. A location was chosen and Cedar Hill Cemetery was designed as an American "rural" cemetery, an enchanting and siren landscape of woodlands, fields, and ponds speckled with sculptures and monuments designed by prominent artist and notable architects. Over time, Cedar Hill Cemetery became the final resting place to some of Connecticut’s best-known and celebrated citizens.

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn. 860.486.4460 and www.mnh.uconn.edu