TalkDeath 2024 Halloween Cemetery Scavenger Hunt

The TalkDeath Cemetery Scavenger Hunt encourages people to appreciate and learn about local cemeteries and their histories. It invites community members to visit cemeteries, reducing stigma and demonstrating that cemeteries can be spaces for the living. Participants learn about memorial iconography and history, connect with their community, spend time with friends and loved ones, and reflect on mortality.

This year’s Cemetery Scavenger Hunt will be on Sunday, October 27th at 2:30 pm ET/ 1:30pm CT/ 12:30pm MT/ 11:30am PT! You can attend and participate at any local cemetery of your choice that is open to the public.

Jump to: Cemetery Partners / Death Work Partners / Participating Vendors

TalkDeath 2024 Halloween Cemetery Scavenger Hunt

Cover Image Design courtesy of: Steffi Lai

How TalkDeath’s Halloween Cemetery Scavenger Hunt Works:

This year will be a little different!

The more, the spookier! Invite your friends and check in with your local death collectives to see if they are participating as well
As always, arrive at your local cemetery of choice at least 10 minutes before the start time
Wait for the clues to drop at at 2:30pm ET/ 11:30am PT (clues are simultaneously posted on our Instagram, Facebook, and website)
Explore the cemetery looking for monuments that match the clues (think symbolism, names, dates, etc.) within thirty minutes
When you find a clue, take a selfie with it (selfie can simply include your hand – something to identify it’s you in all photos)
Upload all found clues in the provided form and submit before the end of the thirty minutes (link to form will be shared closer to event date)
Winners will be announced at 3:30pm ET/ 12:30pm PT
Prizes will be awarded to whoever finds 13 clues first, the highest number of clues found, and accolades such as most creative photography!

More details, rules and clues to come, so stay tuned on our socials to keep in the loop!

This Year’s Cemetery Partners

We are honored to partner with some amazing cemeteries this year! Our partnering cemeteries will be welcoming guests to their grounds for the scavenger hunt (and some of the TalkDeath staff will be there handing out some free merch). You can however attend any local cemetery (that is open of course) near you!

Elmwood Cemetery (Columbia, SC)

Elmwood Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at Columbia, South Carolina. It was established in 1854, and expanded in 1921.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo, NY)

There’s no place like Forest Lawn. As one of the first deliberately designed and professionally landscaped rural cemeteries in the United States, its first interment took place in 1850. Today, there are more than 165,000 permanent residents in this 269-acre, not-for-profit cemetery, where all are welcome.

Graceland Cemetery (Chicago, IL)

Graceland in Chicago, IL: Graceland was established in 1860; its innovative design used native plants to create the cemetery’s pastoral landscape, which today makes it one of the most beautiful places in Chicago for residents and tourists to visit.

The Green-Wood Cemetery (Brooklyn, NY)

Green-Wood in Brooklyn, NY: Founded in 1838 and now a National Historic Landmark, Green-Wood was one of the first rural cemeteries in America. After almost two centuries, Green-Wood is as beautiful as it was at its founding.

Lone Fir Cemetery (Portland, OR)

Nestled in Southeast Portland, Lone Fir Cemetery is one of Oregon’s most treasured historic places and Portland’s second-largest arboretum. Lone Fir is one of Portland’s oldest continuously used cemeteries and is now a de facto arboretum, with more than 700 trees representing 67 species.

Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia, PA)

Since its establishment in 1855, the rolling landscape of Mount Moriah Cemetery has been an inclusive final resting place for Philadelphia’s diverse population, welcoming of all races and incomes, and adapting to changing burial needs of its diverse communities. Once one of Philadelphia’s grand rural cemeteries, Mount Moriah Cemetery and Arboretum is approximately 200 acres that spans across Southwest Philadelphia and Yeadon Borough

Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park (Los Angeles, CA)

Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park spans 101 acres in Burbank and North Hollywood, and has provided quality burial and cemetery services for residents in the San Fernando Valley for almost a decade. With new cemetery roads throughout, the cemetery was also among the first to feature all flat markers, to create a more inviting, park-like setting.

Riverside Cemetery (Cleveland, OH)

Riverside Cemetery was founded in 1876 among the tranquil country farms west of the Cuyahoga River.mWith acres of burial space remaining, Riverside Cemetery will be serving future generations for years to come as we maintain our commitment to keeping Riverside one of the region’s premier cemeteries.

Riverside Cemetery (Waterbury, Connecticut)

Riverside in Waterbury, CT: Riverside Cemetery is significant for its landscape architecture, which beautifully reflects the natural landscape style and rural cemetery design introduced in the 1830’s. The landscape is graced with winding paths, ponds, and ornamental plantings.

This Year’s Death Work & Collective Partners

In addition to cemetery partners, this year we are collaborating with some incredible collectives, individuals, and death-adjacent groups to bring you merch and death education. If you live nearby one of these cemeteries, please come out to meet them and get a treat!

Ashley Johnson of Loyal Hands and National End-Of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) @ Greenwood (Orlando, FL)

With more than a decade in the death care industry, Ashley launched Loyal Hands End-of-Life consulting agency, where NEDA proficient doulas assist the dying and their families to feel more confident and connected during the end-of-life process.

Cleveland Death Society @ Riverside Cemetery (Cleveland, OH)

The Cleveland Death Society hosts Death Cafes and similar events for the greater Cleveland Community. Their objective and goal is to increase awareness of death, make it possible to talk about it openly, and offer a safe non-judgmental space for others of like mind.

Coimetromania @ Graceland Cemetery (Chicago, IL)

Coimetromania is a Chicago-based cemetery education and events platform. Their goal is to demystify cemeteries, preserve their rich history, and foster a sense of community around these local outdoor museums. Through engaging tours, events, and research, they celebrate the cultural, ecological, and historical significance of cemeteries – transforming them into vibrant spaces for learning and connection.

Connecticut Death Collective @ Riverside Cemetery (Waterbury, Connecticut)

The Connecticut Death Collective aims to foster community for those working in death care, as well as connect folks with local end of life resources and information. They also regularly hold space for individuals from all walks of life to discuss our mortality in order to help normalize conversations surrounding death and dying.

Death and Friends Podcast @ Graceland Cemetery (Chicago, IL)

Death and Friends is the #1 Comedy, Death, History podcast by two comedians. They explore the ways people have processed, perceived, and experienced death throughout history. From Black Death and Jack The Ripper to Typhoid Mary and Jessica Mitford they cover a lot of ground with historically accurate detail. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Death Doula Does @ Lone Fir Cemetery (Portland, OR)

Colleen of Death Doula Does has been a supporter of those dying, caregivers for the dying, and grievers for over a decade. They (ʻoia) are a Kanaka Maoli residing in Portland Or specializing in art-based grief spaces, end-of-life planning, and education.

Death Project Manager @ Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park (Los Angeles, CA)

Catherine, your Death Project Manager, is the creator of the Mortality Workbook, a toolkit to collect what your loved ones should know before you go, so that you can rest in peace. She organizes death positive events around the globe and is the founder of Silent Book Club of Death.

Lisa Pahl, Co-creator of The Death Deck @ Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park (Los Angeles, CA)

Lisa Pahl is Co-creator of The Death Deck (thedeathdeck.com) and The E•O•L Deck; games that inspire meaningful conversations on what matters most in our lives and in our deaths. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over seventeen years of experience in hospice and seven years in emergency medicine, Lisa helps people cope with illness, dying, and grief. With a passionate belief that peace at the end begins with meaningful conversations over time, Lisa engages people in talking about and preparing for this important stage of life.

Rian Lussier of Keeper Memorials and TalkDeath @ Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia, PA)

Rian is a death care worker, writer, researcher, and shroud maker currently based in Montreal, where she is also the Memorial Services Manager for Keeper Memorials and Community Events Manager for TalkDeath.

Sage Agee of TalkDeath @ Lone Fir Cemetery (Portland, OR)

Sage is TalkDeath’s Social Media Manager and Staff Writer. He is a death care worker and runs a small-scale trans community farm and grief space called Phototaxis Farming Project. His writing focuses on death positivity, gender identity, sexuality, and parenting. Most of the time he is covered in dirt and looking for cool bugs.

Thanatology Club at King’s University @ Mount Pleasant Cemetery (London, ON, Canada)

Founded in 2015, King’s Thanatology Club was formed by students inspired by the Thanatology department and courses at King’s University College in London, ON, Canada. King’s Thanatology Club is a supportive community of students and faculty with a shared mission of encouraging lifelong learning and open communication about topics surrounding loss, change, grief, bereavement, dying, and death in King’s University College, Western University, and Affiliate College students. King’s Thanatology Club aims to raise awareness about the field of Thanatology, the Thanatology department, and courses at King’s, hold informative events, and host fun social events and activities for students.

This Year’s Vendors

Anti Social Jewelry

Antisocial Jewelry Company creates wearable artwork with reclaimed organic materials and mixed metals. Inspired by life, death, and the rituals surrounding both, we gather inspiration from our work in the funeral industry and nature’s many cycles.

Fairy Garden Hives

Fairy Garden Hives are beekeepers who keep an apiary at Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee’s garden cemetery which is modeled after the garden style cemeteries of the Victorian era. Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum is filled with dramatic natural landscapes, curved roadways, artful plantings, and opulent monuments.

Ahh Sweet Death

Lauren Seeley of Ahh Sweet Death is a death worker, death literacy educator, illustrator and facilitator of The Silent Book Club Of Death Brooklyn.

Mourning Pug

Melinda is the owner and artist behind Mourning Pug, and founder of The Pet Griever’s Club. Mourning Pug is a small store inspired by her profession and the grief from losing my mother, pug and grandmother. The Pet Griever’s Club is a group of folks that meet up every other month to honor their beloved pets via arts and crafts. Apart from this, she is an Embalmer, Funeral Director, Pet Death Doula and Griever.

Hermetic Arts

Miller Brooks is a multidisciplinary artist whose work delves into the esoteric and the darker side of life. Operating under the moniker @hermetic.arts, Miller crafts captivating pieces that blend ancient symbols and sigils with contemporary aesthetics. Each creation is an exploration of hidden truths and spiritual symbolism, inviting viewers to journey through a realm where art and mysticism converge. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for the enigmatic, Miller transforms the arcane into visually striking narratives that resonate on both a personal and universal level.

Cleveland Death Society

The Cleveland Death Society is a death positivity movement group. We have a monthly Death Café. Help raise money and awareness for the local suicide prevention organization. As well as help locals find the resources needed for funeral rites and laws. To finding a Death Doula. I myself am a grief and bereavement counselor. As well as a death doula. The Cleveland Death Society sells merch at events to help raise Death Positivity Movement awareness. We hope that one day all cities and towns will have their own death societies. And we’ll even help them get started!

Morbid Curiosity

Morbid Curiosity decks are a collection of skillfully crafted questions that invite players to explore the fascinating realm of death through trivia, laughter, story telling, and maybe even a tear or two. The game is the creation of artist and therapist Kimberley Mead and her husband, punk rocker/historian, James Young. Developed to create a surprisingly fun and curious way to talk about death.

Reliquary Perfume

Spellbinding scents for body and home with a focus on ritual, the macabre, and what lies beyond the veil.

Strong and Hardy

Genuine, thoughtful, and poetic paper goods and engravings inspired by the darker side of life, designed and handmade by a husband and wife team in rural Oklahoma.

Chica Artista Illustration

Abigail Piña Rocha Carlisle is a Chicana creator based in the Bay Area, California. She makes art, comics, stories and illustrations the world around her. As a failing goth in recovery, she is also an advocate of the death positive community and explores the intersection between death and culture.

Death Project Manager

Catherine, your Death Project Manager, is the creator of the Mortality Workbook, a toolkit to collect what your loved ones should know before you go, so that you can rest in peace. She has also hosted death positive events internationally, and is the creator of Silent Book Club of Death, Summer Reading Club of Death, and Death and Taxes Week.

Here Lies a Story

Court is a San Francisco storyteller with a flair for the eerie. Blending humor and dark anecdotes, she shares the city’s hidden histories, from haunted tales to true crime. A former literature student, she finds joy in exploring the macabre and invites readers to engage with the complexities of life through her unique, candid narratives.

Mockingbird Lane Artistries

Mockingbird Lane Artistries creates Halloween-inspired jewelry blending Victorian style with funerary customs. Utilizing soft soldering and copper electroforming, she crafts unique pieces featuring gemstones and vintage elements. Recently, she adopted photogrammetry to 3D print wearable versions of her antique finds. In addition, she sells matted prints from her cemetery photography adventures across the country.

Cemetery Views Photography

With a background in death care and end of life care, Amber has taken on another passion of hers with Cemetery photography. Amber wants to show the beauty in the calm and remind people not to fear where loved ones lay. On your next visit to a Cemetery, take a pause and just be. You can follow Amber at IG: cemetery.views.photography to see just how beautiful final resting places are.

Livor Mortis Zines

Livor Mortis Zine is a true lo-fi D.I.Y. photozine series from London (UK) that focuses on themes of decay and despair by way of urban inspection, cemetery exploration and graffiti/street art. Always death positive.