Join us at the Setauket Neighborhood House 

Monday September 22nd @ 7pm

Body Snatching in Post-Colonial America with James Henry

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In the early decades of American independence, a hidden trade emerged from the shadows: body snatching. As medical schools expanded, the demand for cadavers far outpaced legal supply, fueling an illicit market where "resurrectionists" raided cemeteries under cover of night to deliver fresh bodies for anatomical study. In this captivating talk, New York City tour guide and cemetery historian James Henry uncovers the chilling world of body snatching in post-colonial America.

 

Drawing from his work with Bowery Boys NYC History Walking Tours and his deep dives into Manhattan’s haunting burial grounds like Green-Wood Cemetery, James brings to light the chilling true stories of grave robbing in post-colonial America. Backed by research for his upcoming graphic novel on the global history of body snatching, he’ll reveal how desperate medical schools fueled a gruesome black market, with cases from Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island. The talk also unearths one of America’s most bizarre crimes: the theft of a founding father’s body in upstate New York and the eerie mystery of his still-missing bones.

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Blending true crime, medical history, and the politics of death, Body Snatching in Post-Colonial America offers a fascinating and unsettling look at the hidden stories buried beneath the surface of American history.

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A Q&A will follow the presentation!