More About Theatrical Tours “Ghosts & Spirits at the Mansion”
On October 22, 23, and 24, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will present "Ghosts & Spirits at the Mansion," three evenings of immersive theatrical tours produced in collaboration with ArtSynergy Productions. This special after-hours experience will offer visitors an engaging interpretation of Victorian culture, Spiritualism, Gothic literature, and the legendary ghost stories associated with the Mansion. This program is recommended for adults and children ages 12 and older. All children must be accompanied by an adult. To purchase tickets, please visit the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Events Page.
The evening will invite guests to step into the late 19th century as participants in one of Florence Mathews’ private literary gatherings. Inspired by the intellectual salons popular during the Victorian era, the production will explore society's growing fascination with mourning customs, séances, and Gothic horror masterpieces, all while asking the haunting question: “Do those who die ever truly leave us?”
The experience begins in the Mansion’s Entrance Hall, where guests are welcomed by the house butler and introduced to the curious stories, unexplained occurrences, and questions that have long surrounded the Mansion. From there, visitors are received by Florence Mathews for an intimate evening salon devoted to Spiritualism.
Rather than conducting a traditional séance, Florence invites her guests to move through the Mansion, listening, observing, and discovering what may be waiting for them in its rooms. Along the way, classic works of Gothic literature unfold as immersive theatrical encounters. Characters and stories begin to intersect as themes of grief, obsession, madness, guilt, memory, and the supernatural echo from one room to the next. What begins as an elegant literary salon gradually becomes something more unsettling, as each scene illustrates a distinct belief or fear that shaped the era within the intimate setting of this historic landmark.
ArtSynergy Productions creates immersive, site-specific theatrical experiences that transform non-traditional venues into living stages. By blending storytelling, environment, and audience participation, we create meaningful shared experiences that celebrate local history, foster human connection, and bring communities together through the power of live theater.
The evening will conclude in the Billiards Room, where guests will have an opportunity to purchase refreshments while reflecting on the history and mysteries encountered throughout their journey.
The “Ghosts & Spirits at the Mansion” are generously sponsored in part by DBHLegal LLC and Donna and Douglas Hempstead; LMMM’s 2026 programs are made possible in part by LMMM’s Season Distinguished Benefactors: The City of Norwalk, The Maurice Goodman Foundation, Inc., and Lockwood-Mathews Foundation, Inc., LMMM’s Leadership Patrons: Dr. Michele & Attorney Miklos Koleszar and The Sealark Foundation, Inc., and LMMM’s Founding Patrons: The Estate of Mrs. Cynthia Clark Brown.
Mansion photo courtesy of Gus Apazidis
The evening will invite guests to step into the late 19th century as participants in one of Florence Mathews’ private literary gatherings. Inspired by the intellectual salons popular during the Victorian era, the production will explore society's growing fascination with mourning customs, séances, and Gothic horror masterpieces, all while asking the haunting question: “Do those who die ever truly leave us?”
The experience begins in the Mansion’s Entrance Hall, where guests are welcomed by the house butler and introduced to the curious stories, unexplained occurrences, and questions that have long surrounded the Mansion. From there, visitors are received by Florence Mathews for an intimate evening salon devoted to Spiritualism.
Rather than conducting a traditional séance, Florence invites her guests to move through the Mansion, listening, observing, and discovering what may be waiting for them in its rooms. Along the way, classic works of Gothic literature unfold as immersive theatrical encounters. Characters and stories begin to intersect as themes of grief, obsession, madness, guilt, memory, and the supernatural echo from one room to the next. What begins as an elegant literary salon gradually becomes something more unsettling, as each scene illustrates a distinct belief or fear that shaped the era within the intimate setting of this historic landmark.
ArtSynergy Productions creates immersive, site-specific theatrical experiences that transform non-traditional venues into living stages. By blending storytelling, environment, and audience participation, we create meaningful shared experiences that celebrate local history, foster human connection, and bring communities together through the power of live theater.
The evening will conclude in the Billiards Room, where guests will have an opportunity to purchase refreshments while reflecting on the history and mysteries encountered throughout their journey.
The “Ghosts & Spirits at the Mansion” are generously sponsored in part by DBHLegal LLC and Donna and Douglas Hempstead; LMMM’s 2026 programs are made possible in part by LMMM’s Season Distinguished Benefactors: The City of Norwalk, The Maurice Goodman Foundation, Inc., and Lockwood-Mathews Foundation, Inc., LMMM’s Leadership Patrons: Dr. Michele & Attorney Miklos Koleszar and The Sealark Foundation, Inc., and LMMM’s Founding Patrons: The Estate of Mrs. Cynthia Clark Brown.
Mansion photo courtesy of Gus Apazidis
Date & Time
October 22, 2026
6:00pm - 8:40pm
Additional Dates
This event also occurs on:
10/23/2026, 10/24/2026
Location
Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum
295 West Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06850
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More About Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is regarded as one of the earliest and most significant Second Empire Style country houses in the United States. Built by renowned financier and railroad tycoon LeGrand Lockwood from 1864-1868, the Mansion, with its unparalleled architecture and interiors, illustrates magnificently the beauty and splendor of the Victorian Era.
Lockwood’s financial reversal in 1869, and his untimely death in 1872, resulted in the loss of the estate then known as “Elm Park,” through foreclosure, in 1874. In 1876, the property was sold to Charles D. Mathews and his wife Rebecca. Mathews, a prominent importer from New York, and his family, resided in the Mansion until 1938. In 1941, the estate was sold to the City of Norwalk and designated a public park.
The Mansion was a technological marvel of its time: it had indoor hot and cold plumbing, gas lighting, ventilation, and a central heating system that burned a ton of coal a day. Indeed, there is no comparable mansion museum in our state. Built during the Civil War and still inhabited during the Great Depression, there is no institution in Connecticut that is better able to bring to life these significant events in American history.
When the building was threatened with demolition in the 1960s, concerned citizens galvanized to save the Mansion in one the most important and hard-fought preservation battles in Connecticut’s history. These local preservationists succeeded in saving the Mansion in 1965, and later formed the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum of Norwalk, Inc., a 501(c)(3), which was designated a National Historic Landmark, in 1971.
Lockwood’s financial reversal in 1869, and his untimely death in 1872, resulted in the loss of the estate then known as “Elm Park,” through foreclosure, in 1874. In 1876, the property was sold to Charles D. Mathews and his wife Rebecca. Mathews, a prominent importer from New York, and his family, resided in the Mansion until 1938. In 1941, the estate was sold to the City of Norwalk and designated a public park.
The Mansion was a technological marvel of its time: it had indoor hot and cold plumbing, gas lighting, ventilation, and a central heating system that burned a ton of coal a day. Indeed, there is no comparable mansion museum in our state. Built during the Civil War and still inhabited during the Great Depression, there is no institution in Connecticut that is better able to bring to life these significant events in American history.
When the building was threatened with demolition in the 1960s, concerned citizens galvanized to save the Mansion in one the most important and hard-fought preservation battles in Connecticut’s history. These local preservationists succeeded in saving the Mansion in 1965, and later formed the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum of Norwalk, Inc., a 501(c)(3), which was designated a National Historic Landmark, in 1971.
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