Lancaster Cemetery Living History

This Sunday I participated in a lovely little Living History event at a local cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The cemetery was started in th 1840s. A group of friends decided that it would be a lovely opportunity to get together for a picnic in the cemetery. By the 1860s, Americans had taken a cue from European countries and began to create Cemeteries - resting places - to replace church graveyards. In Europe, cemeteries were beautifully landscaped, like parks. Cemeteries were a place to retreat from city life, remember loved ones, and perhaps have a little picnic lunch.

Here's a picture of our setup. The weather forecast wasn't good - thunderstorms and tornadoes. So we set up rather quickly, hoping to get a bite to eat before the showers started. After lunch and a little stroll around the cemetery we set down for some more conversation and a game of 'Question and Answer'. This game was an 1860s game in which the gentlemen receive Question cards and ladies receive Answer cards. A gentleman turns to the lady next to him and asks her the question from his first card, she answers from her first card - sometimes the questions and answers fit together, sometimes they don't, but either way, they're always funny. Here's an example...Question: "Would you go for a stroll by the river?" Answer:

"Ask the Cats". The Question and Answer game is available from Ragged Soldier Sutlery.