Photo: A Living History interpreter, dressed in black mourning clothes, engages with a visitor in the Ranch House
This Saturday, October 8, the Sharlot Hall Museum’s 2022 Living History Adventure season will conclude with “Victorian Superstitions,” a family-friendly program exploring spooky and spectral elements of frontier life in Prescott.
Superstitions stalked the land in Victorian times, influencing daily life in a variety of haunting or surprising ways. From covering mirrors to displaying coffins in homes, Arizona’s early settlers were no exception to these traditions. At Saturday’s Living History Adventure, guests will have a chance to experience some of these practices in real life as they visit with Living History interpreters.
The Governor’s Mansion will be decorated for mourning as frontier citizens lament the passing of young Margaret McCormick, wife of Territorial Governor Richard McCormick. However, daily life must go on…the printer and shopkeeper will ply their trades, and the Ranch House will brim with scrumptious smells as dinner simmers on the stove.
Every Living History Adventure includes on-theme activities. This month, visitors will go on a “ghost hunt” through the Museum campus to find “ghosts,” crack a code, and get a prize. Young guests will also enjoy celebrating the advent of fall by constructing their own pumpkin from craft materials.
The Sharlot Hall Museum’s Living History Adventures are popular monthly programs that introduce visitors to lifestyles of Territorial Arizona through crafts, activities, and Living History interpreters. Frontier Christmas, December 3, will also include Living History activities as the Museum celebrates the start of the holiday season with cookies, crafts, and Christmas cheer. Looking further ahead, the 2023 Living History Adventure season will begin next April and run through October on the second Saturday of every month.
Members and children 12-under enjoy free admission to Saturday’s “Victorian Superstitions.” Details for this program and more can be found on the Museum’s website at www.sharlothallmuseum.org.
The Sharlot Hall Museum, located two blocks west of Prescott’s Courthouse Plaza, is one of Arizona’s premier history museums. Its four-acre campus tells Arizona’s story through exhibits, gardens, and historic buildings, including the 1864 Territorial Governor’s Mansion. Events and programs include the annual Prescott Indian Art Market, Sharlot’s Cellar, monthly Living History Adventure days, and more.