Bollinger Mill State Historic Site hosts All Hallow's Eve event Oct. 19
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 2, 2018 – Bollinger Mill State Historic Site invites you to attend the first annual All Hallow's Eve event from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct 19. Visitors can enjoy the 19th century gristmill and the oldest covered bridge in Missouri: Burfordville Covered Bridge.
A Program on Victorian mourning and funeral customs begins at 4 p.m. During this program, mourning clothing and jewelry will be on display. Participants can learn about misunderstood aspects of mourning, such as the weeping veil and post-mortem photography.
Following the mourning program, a special cemetery program will explain the history and science behind "witching" and its role in locating unmarked graves. Participants can also learn about cemetery symbolism and the types of trees and shrubbery often found in historic cemeteries.
At 6 p.m, join professional storyteller Marilyn Kinsella as she returns to tell more spooky stories around the bonfire. Kinsella’s collection of stories has grown from a handful to hundreds of stories and includes personal experiences, folk tales, literary stories and historical tales. Her style has been described as "animated" and she uses "word imaging" to color enhance the story. Please bring a lawn chair for seating.
Immediately following the storytelling, visitors can take a special nighttime tour of the mill.
Nancy's Fancy Kettle Corn and Straight Line Swine BBQ of Cape Girardeau will be at the site selling food, snacks and beverages.
Bollinger Mill State Historic Site is located at 113 Bollinger Mill Road in Burfordville. Take Highway 34 to Highway OO to Highway HH in Cape Girardeau County. For more information about the event, or to register for the scarecrow building program, contact the historic site at 573-243-4591.
For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.