Jenkins thought mourning would be an interesting subject for

Stately Oaks to add to its list of annual events. Every year

she increases the collection of mourning items used during the

19th century and word has spread of Stately Oaks' unique

tours. Last year, the British Broadcast Company featured the

mourning tour as part of a film about "Gone with the Wind." At

the end of taping, the film crew donated a set of black drapes

to Stately Oaks that the BBC had purchased to use during in the

video.

Jenkins and other docents also share their knowledge with other

historical organizations and sites. Bulloch Hall and Smith Plantation

in Roswell, Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, and the Root House Museum

in Marietta have all benefited from the research of Stately Oaks' docents.

The Stately Oaks mourning tour, sponsored by Historical Jonesboro,

focuses on the death of a child. A small coffin and other funerary

items are borrowed from the collection of Abb Dickson owner of

Pope Dickson & Son Funeral Home each year to add to the authenticity

of the tour. Because home viewing was normal in the 1800s, coffins

were placed in an ice filled basket to keep the body cool. Other

important aspects of proper arrangements and customs include

how long a person was expected to mourn the loss of a loved one,

how a widow was required to dress, and when a widower could remarry.

Mourning tours are scheduled Monday through Saturday, August

2 � 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. During the Battle of Jonesboro, August

28 and 29, guests may tour on the hour. For more information,

call 770-473-0197 or visit www.historicaljonesboro.org.

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