National Museum of Funeral History

 

 

     

         I asked everyone in my family to go with me and not one thought it would be fun. I ended up attending by myself and at the last minute of course. I paid my entrance fee, inserted my coin and I was amazed.  The museum is exceptionally large, clean and bright. The Hearses are what you see first dating back as early 1800s. I looked around at all the different hearses, I started cry, realizing that someone who had passed rode in these vehicles.

 

        This is an extremely personal experience for me.  My oldest daughter’s father passed away when she was 6 months old. The sight of a hearse or the sight or sound of an ambulance tugs at my heart and brings back all those memories.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The craftsmanship that went into making hearse’s back in the 1800 and 1900s is unbelievable. The men took pride in crafting these hearses that would be used in a time of hardship in ones lives. The hearse is the view point after all of a funeral and what great talent these men had to craft such beautiful hearses. Several of the hearses were remarkable. I have to say, I could not get over the detail of the Rockfalls Hearse 1921. This hearse is 8ft. in height, 19ft. in length and weighs 4,600 pounds. The craftsman used 6 types of wood to create such a master piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Interesting in 1916 the Packard Funeral Bus was built that held the casket in the front by itself, in the back were the pallbearers and 20 mourners. The bus was built in hopes of shortening the length of the procession line.

 

The owner of the bus lived in San Francisco and was climbing uphill to a funeral when the weight shifted back, pallbearers tumbled over mourners and the casket overturned. The bus was not used again and for 40 years was a ranch hands home.

 

 

Time passes and you can see the advancement of technology, in the engine and the body style we know today was being shaped. The cars are remarkable as well, just not as symbolic as a hand crafted hearse.

      

As Recnt as the 1950's it was still common for the funeral director to provide ambulance service as well.

This Studebaker Superior 1929 Hearse that was still in service in 1953 converted to an ambulance by simply removing the leaded glass panel inserts behind the driver.

       

 In the 1800’s each male that went to the barber shop had his own shaving mug with his name on it. The shaving mug belonged to the funeral director. Funeral parlors would advertise on woven fans that the ladies used in church, on their combs and their thermometors. Most of these items that were on display, we don’t use any more. Advertising, as with all things has changed in how funeral homes do business.  Commercials give the funeral homes a way to advertise too many people at once. The commercials like to target older people to take care of their funeral so not burden your children. In the 1800’s children did take care of their parents and made sure their funeral was taken care of.   

        Funerals use to be scared, a time for mourning for someone that you loved. Family and friends gathered to share stories and tears with each other.  Neighbors made sure that the loved ones left behind were taken care of. People pulled together and made it through. Now, funerals are so commercialized, that all that was scared has been taken out of it. The cost is so out of reach for many people that they go in debt just to bury a dead love one. People take advantage of your lose, sometimes, in hopes to gain a fortune. The loved ones left behind, most of them end up fighting over what was left and what they will get.  I feel that funerals always bring out the worst in people. Instead of supporting each other, families get ripped apart.

        Viewing the caskets was extremely interesting.

The money casket that was made
of acrylic in the 1970’s sends a strong message that money had become so important to people they wanted everyone to see just how much they had.

Here I am standing in front of President John F. Kennedy's look a like casket. I have read so much of about President Kennedy.  He is one man I wish I would have gotten to meet. He was just getting started in life when his was taken. Looking a pictures from President Kennedys funeral, everyone has such a blank stare on their face. Everyone was in such shock.

 

 

The Italian Renaissance casket was made in 1965 by only 3 men and it took them

 

an entire year.  The men hand crafted each individual piece. This casket is such an amazing site to see.  Here you can see that these 3 men had a love for what they did and wanted to keep funerals scared in the hearts of the loved ones.

 

 

The Cruciform Caset in the 1900's was the first to have squared ends and a religious oriented casket. They called it the “Common Sense Casket” because there was plenty of room for the shoulders and a wide part of the body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the largest caskets made was actually made for 3 people.  A couple lost their baby in 1930. The parents meet with the funeral director and told him their plans of taking their own lives. The funeral director had the casket made; the couple did not go through with their plan and moved to a different state. The wife wrote a letter to the funeral home 20 years later when her husband died asking for a refund and she was denied.

       

 

 

The most moving was the Tomb of the Unknown. To walk into its own little corner gives you a sense of reverence and respect. To watch the changing of the guard and hear that music, knowing those men gave their life for our freedom made me cry. That tomb is guarded 24 hours a day seven days a week. The soldiers take 21 steps, turn and face the tomb for 21 sec., give a 21 gun salute all of which is the highest military honor.

        Day of the Dead is from Oct. 31-Nov. 2 (All Souls Day). This is when family ancestors that have passed are honored by creating ofrendeas, also known as memory table. This table will have items that remind

family members of times spent together. Death is mocked with skeletons and skull candy. This day comes from Spanish conquest and the arrival of Christianity. Now children grow up thinking of Halloween as candy and costumes, not really knowing anything about the Day of the Dead. Once again it has become commercialized.

       

 

 

 

 Embalming started with the Egyptians and it took 70 days for the process.  The dead were taken to an embalming tomb where a table was carved in the manner of a lion.

 

 The table was in the shape of a lion because the lion was a symbol of protection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1861 embalming started during the Civil War. The soldiers were embalmed so they would be preserved for shipping back home.

       

 

 

 

 

 

 Funerals have made many changes in history. I feel that funerals were a passage to a better life and that the living respected the process of funerals. Funerals were a time for grieving and family pulling together. When looking at where we started and where we are now, I think it is a shame that we have put a dollar sign on funerals. It is such an impersonal process now. It is about getting the best for your loved one, being sure that you have bought everything. The loved one is dead, he really doesn’t need anything.  The people needing something are the people the loved one left.

 

Here I am standing in front of Ronald Regans casket, look a like.  I remember Regan and all he stood for.  I believe he was a great president.

Really, do you know how hard it is to take a good picture of yourself?haha

 

 

 

     The museum is full of information that one would never even think of. There is an entire section on the Pope's. I am not catholic and I have  a very strong reglious stance when it comes to the Catholic church that I choose to keep to myself. While there I did take this picture of how the  Pope is put on display for people to come and say their last good byes.

 

 

 When my daughter’s father passed away I was 26 yrs old. I had not even thought about death, where I wanted to be buried or how I was going to pay for it all. It was the worse experience I have gone through yet in my life. Going through that, I have bought me a plot to be buried in, picked out my headstone and casket. I have a living will and I have a “Do Not Resuscitate”. I do not want to be hooked up to a machine and cause more grief to my loved ones.  It is the people you leave behind you need to think of. They will be the ones that suffer and need some order and reassurance that they are doing the right thing for you in your death. I feel the easier we make it on them, the more smoothly things might run.

 Here are some extra pictures that I took that were very interesting.  Here is Marsellus Casket Factory, Syracuse, New York, 1900's.

 

Here is a Childs white hearse from the 1900's. This hearse is built smaller, used only for children and

this hearse is pulled by 2 men wearing black, not horses.

 

 

This picture is how in the 19th Century people mourned a persons passing.

People would go to the deceased persons house and pay their respects. All mirrors in the house would be covered and a draping of black cloth around the picture of the person who died. These days a funeral seems to be in a huge church with a lot of people you don't really know. When I die, I want a very small funeral at the grave site and nothing else.