Center for Thanatology Research & Education

Dedicated to the study of mortality, the Center for Thanatology Research & Education was established in 1986 to acquaint teachers, scholars and the general public with approaches to using cemeteries as art and historical resources. The center conducts cemetery tours for students, adults and professionals during which the various art historical periods in which gravestones, landscaping and mortuary structures were built are explored. There are lessons, too, on outdoor sculpture, hand-carved lettering as a craft, ethnic cemeteries and more. In addition, the center houses a library and a museum, publishes its own books and periodicals and sells works of other publishers related to its mission.