The Rosenbach is the home of first editions of Bram Stoker’s novel, as well as his notes for Dracula, over 100 pages of outlines, early plot ideas, and research notes, compiled by the author over the seven years he developed and wrote the book.
This year is the 125th anniversary of the publication of Dracula and the Rosenbach is celebrating with a spine-tingling, all-night reading! Dracuthon will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14 and will end 17 hours later at 9:00 a.m. The Dracuthon will be held at the Trinity Center for Urban Life’s gothic cathedral located at 2212 Spruce Street, just two blocks from the Rosenbach. Do you dare stay up into the wee hours to hear this spine-tingling tale read aloud?
Admission is $8 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14; free admission to all after 9:00 p.m. Admission is free for Rosenbach members at any time! Tickets at rosenbach.org/dracuthon. The Dracuthon is sponsored by Kitty and Bob DeMento.
In addition to the Dracuthon, the Rosenbach is hosting several other events this October just in time for Halloween.
- Lunchtime Talk with Josh Hitchens, the author of Haunted Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 4 at 12:30 p.m. As one of the most haunted cities in the nation, the City of Brotherly Love is a haven for unexplained phenomena. The specter of an innocent waiter murdered in 1783 is sometime seen breaking dishes and smashing glasses at the City Tavern, once a meetinghouse for George Washington, Paul Revere, and other patriots. Anguished screams and haunting footsteps are still heard among the cellblocks of Eastern State Penitentiary. Among the picturesque streets of Chestnut Hill sits Baleroy Mansion, whose plethora of supernatural hosts has earned the home the nickname of “the most haunted house in America.” In Haunted History of Philadelphia, author and paranormal historian Josh Hitchens relates twelve chilling tales of Philly’s past and present.
- Dracula: the Enduring Monster Behind the Bookcase tours on Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. Venture boldly into Bram Stoker’s handwritten notes for Dracula (character and chapter outlines, chronologies, and more!) as Rosenbach staff explore what it took to create this (almost) inexorable villain. If that doesn’t sound too terrifying, hazard a look at The Rosenbach’s latest vampiric acquisitions: a colonial edition of Dracula made for India and the British colonies, and Spiritual Vampirism, printed in 1853, a volume shedding pertinent clues on the context of Stoker’s diabolical work.
- The Vampire’s Mystery: Notes on a Monster, a new immersive experience, held each night at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. from Thursday, October 28 to Friday, October 30. Unravel Dracula’s riddle using author Bram Stoker’s own notes and outlines during this immersive, theatrical, experience through the historic Rosenbach mansion. You’ll discover just how a novel gets created, whose stories get told, whose get hidden, and what is sacrificed along the way, all while guided, helped, and hindered by characters from the novel come to life (and un-life!). Do you dare to uncover the story of Dracula as you’ve never seen it before?