Bizarre Bazaar

The Bizarre Bazaar is a Halloween themed artisan craft fair held annually in downtown Hartford in October. The fair hosts live music, local artists, crafters, and connoisseurs of creepiness. This event is free and open to the public. Brought to you by the Hartford Business Improvement District and sponsored by The Hartford.

Check out Connecticut’s Old State House lecture “Merchandising the Dead in 19th Century New England” at 2:00 PM inside.

Learn about the history of “body snatching” in the 19th century. Physicians teaching anatomy in New England medical schools expected students to have hands-on experience with cadavers. Yet the only legal access allowed were the bodies of convicted murders. This restriction led to a spike in demand. Doctors and their students turned to the illegal and illicit removal of the dead from graveyards and cemeteries. Find out more about this practice with author and historian Richard Ross III, whose extensive research reveals the religious, moral, and social objections during the time.