Sequential Killers of the Victorian Age - Season Nine

FRIDAYS AND SATURDAY EVENINGS IN OCTOBER

First Tours start at 6:00 pm and then again every 20 minutes

Performances are one hour long.

$23 each, members for 2026 receive a 15% rebate at the door.

Hearthstone’s most popular event is back and more chilling than ever in this new theatrical performance that brings you face-to-face with real-life Victorian serial killers.

Vignettes in each room of the museum bring to life (so to speak) sequential killers - they weren’t called serial killers at the time - and their nefarious deeds. As you tour the historic mansion decorated according to Victorian mourning traditions led by Victorian police detectives, you will meet the killers and their victims, hearing their tales of maliciousness and murder. Based on the newspaper accounts of the day, the scenes tell of villains, victims, and the beginnings of our fascination with true crime.

Death was so commonplace that it permeated every aspect of Victorian life and led to a morbid fascination with the macabre and elaborate rituals to commemorate the dead. Ticket holders for Sequential Killers will be able to explore Victorian ideas on death and mourning in two special exhibits included in the ticket price.

First, the entire house is decorated according to Victorian norms including windows and mirrors draped in black, clocks stopped at the time of death of a loved one, photos overturned, and a casket on display in the parlor.

Second, prior to the tour, guests can view exhibits of Victorian memento mori (items made to remind the living of the dead) including jewelry made from the departed loved one’s hair, post-mortem photography, and other funeral items - all on loan from the remarkable Loomis Family Collection. Mourning clothing, which was highly regimented, is also on display.

Each new season brings to life a new cast of real-life murderers. This year’s production features new retellings of two famous killers, one with a direct connection to Hearthstone.

Be a part of the show…

Guests are encouraged become part of the show by wearing their finest Victorian costumes, especially as Halloween approaches.

Performances are presented every Friday and Saturday night in October starting from 6:00 pm to 8:40 pm. Tours are scheduled every twenty minutes starting on the hour and are about 60 minutes long.

Tickets are $23 each and available only through the ticketing button below.

Please note:

• Because of the dark subject matter, this event is for ages 13 years and older. No one 12 or under will be admitted. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

• To fully participate in the tour, guests must be able to climb a set of stairs from the lower level to the first floor and a long set of stairs to the second floor.

• The parking lot fills up quickly with these tours but there is ample free parking one half block away from the museum on State Street.

• Because of high demand for this event and the potential for overcrowding, all tours tickets must be purchased on-line through this website.

• Tickets are for specific dates and entry times as listed on every confirmation email (please make sure that your email address is accurate when buying tickets).

• Unfortunately, our ticketing system does not permit tickets to be changed or refunded after the purchase is made.

• Tickets MUST be used for their stated times and dates. Unfortunately, there can be no exceptions.

Tickets for specific dates can sell out quickly.

Click to purchase tickets for…

October 2* October 3*
(*Early season special save $3 a ticket)
October 9 October 10
October 16 October 17
October 23 October 24
October 30 October 31

Horrors of the Household

Updated for 2026 and our 40th anniversary!

Wednesday Evenings at 6:00 pm AND SATURDAYS at 2:00 pm throughout October

$17 each, members receive a 15% discount

As beautiful as they were, Victorian homes could be deadly… as there were perils lurking in every room. Poisonous wallpaper, adulterated food, killer cosmetics, even exploding plumbing were just some of the dangers that filled gorgeous Victorian mansions like Hearthstone.

Back by popular demand, this tour, which sells out every year, is led by Hearthstone’s Executive Director George Schroeder. The 90-minute tour follows a day in the life of Henry and Cremora Rogers as they move through their beautiful home and encounter hidden dangers at every turn.

The tour is alternatingly horrifying and hilarious as guests wonder aloud, “What were they thinking!?”

As a backdrop, Hearthstone will be decorated to feature many of the practices Victorians followed when they mourned as part of its Victorian Mourning exhibit.

Tickets are $16. Members in 2026 receive a 15% discount with the code in their emails.

Please note:

• To fully participate in the tour, guests must be able to climb a set of stairs from the lower level to the first floor and a long set of stairs to the second floor.

• The parking lot fills up quickly with these tours but there is ample free parking one half block away from the museum on State Street.

• Because of high demand for this event and the potential for overcrowding, all tours tickets must be purchased on-line through this website.

• Tickets are for specific dates and entry times as listed on every confirmation email (please make sure that your email address is accurate when buying tickets).

• Unfortunately, our ticketing system does not permit tickets to be changed or refunded after the purchase is made.

Hearthstone's Nooks and Crannies: A Behind the Scenes Tour

September 16, 17, 19

$17 each, members receive a 15% discount

In this behind the scenes, special limited tour, Hearthstone’s Curation Director Lynne Phillips will take you through the museum to peer, literally, into the nooks and crannies that make Hearthstone so special. Guests will visit the spaces normally not open to the public and hear stories about the restoration of the house as well as the interesting revelations that have been found in the process.

Lynne will open drawers, closets, whole rooms, and complete floors to reveal items not normally on display. Over the past 39 years, museum restoration teams have looked under moldings, peeled away canvas, torn down plaster, and stripped layers of paint to reveal the past. Lynne will relate how restoration is done professionally and, most importantly, how it helps provide an authentic view of the Victorian Era.

Wednesday tours start at 2:00 pm.

Thursday tours start at 6:00 pm. Thursdays are an extraordinary evening edition that lets guests experience the museum as dusk falls. Flashlights will be provided.

Saturday tours start at 11:00 am

Please note:

• Tickets for the Nooks and Crannies Tour are $17 and are available on-line only.

• Tours are limited to just 12 guests per tour.

• Please allow for two hours for completion of the tour.

• Guests will be climbing four stories of stairs. 

Murder at the Mansion

September 26 Sold Out!

From 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Hearthstone’s favorite premier event is back and more mysterious than ever! Test your sleuthing skills as you join other guests - all in character and in costume - to solve a murder that happens almost right before your very eyes. It is an Agatha Christie novel come to life in the sumptuous surroundings of Hearthstone’s beautiful Victorian interiors (what could be more Agatha Christie than that).

This year’s mystery will take you back to 1920s Chicago, a world where Hearthstone is a speakeasy, one dominated by rival northside and southside gangs. You will play bootleggers, their molls, and a variety of hangers-on from silent film stars to baseball heroes, all with axes to grind. This year’s plot will keep you guessing with plenty of twists and turns.

The night features heavy hors d'oeuvres and wine and soft drinks served by the museum’s volunteers dressed as maids and butlers while guests interact (in character, of course) to figure out who had motive and opportunity to do the dastardly deed. It is a night dedicated to mayhem, murder, and fun! Tickets are $75 and available only on this website.

Please note the following:

• Tickets are limited and sell out quickly.

• Please have all of your party’s email addresses ready when purchasing tickets. This is the only way for everyone to receive their character information which will be sent Sep 11.

• Unfortunately, because of the nature of the event, there can be NO REFUNDS for tickets. Guests who are unable to attend are responsible for finding a replacement to play their role and use their ticket. This is required as all characters are essential for the mystery to be played.

• Guests must make museum staff aware of any food allergies at least two weeks prior to the date of the event. Every effort will be made to comply with guest requirements but the caterer cannot guarantee allergen-free ingredients.

• This is 21 year old and older event.

• Murder at the Grand Gatsby Speakeasy is a MyMysteryParty.com game