A visit to the National Museum of Funeral History is a great way to ring in the New Year with the whole family. With more than 30,000 square feet of exhibit space, museum visitors will explore the mourning rituals of ancient civilizations, delve into the details of a presidential funeral, learn about how different cultures deal with death and discover the traditions behind a papal funeral.

  The Museum gives visitors an inside look at funeral traditions from modern day to yesteryear, including a history lesson on hearses, of which the Museum has an extensive collection. The funeral service vehicles featured in the Historical Hearses exhibit trace the evolution of funerary customs, from the elegant horse-drawn funeral carriages of the 19th century to the actual hearses used in the funeral of Grace Kelly and the state funeral services of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald R. Ford.

  The exhibit showcases a number of hearses that have been skillfully crafted by hand, many of which are works of art themselves. Museum-goers are treated to a variety of hearses, from an elaborate German glass-paneled horse drawn funeral carriage made in 1850 to a 1921 motorized hearse with opulent, hand-carved wooden panels that typify the extravagant craftsmanship amongst manufacturers of the era.

  Did you know that many hearses from many years ago often served multiple purposes, such as doubling as ambulances? The Museum has one of these “combination” vehicles and visitors enjoy learning about the history behind these historic cars and seeing them in person. Another interesting and unique vehicle in the Historic Hearses exhibit is the 1916 Packard funeral bus. It was designed for the streets of San Francisco and could transport a casket, flowers, pallbearers and up to twenty mourners. However, there was a major design flaw in that the wheel axel was not placed in the proper position to be able to support the back end weight of the bus, which led to the bus tipping over. After that, it was quickly taken out of commission and, after a stint on a farm serving as the living quarters for a sheep herder, it eventually was recovered, restored and now is now on display at the National Museum of Funeral History.

 

    A trip to the Museum will provide insight into the colors of early motorized hearses or the color of the horses used on horse drawn hearses. For instance, did you know a white hearse or white horses signified the deceased was a woman or child while black horses or hearses were used for deceased men? Museum guests will also learn about how the number of plumes (or lack thereof) on a horse drawn funeral carriage indicated social status.

  Motorized hearses came into play in the early 1900s. Once the transition from electric motors to those built with an internal combustion engine had occurred (and prices became more reasonable), motorized funeral vehicles became the norm, of which the Museum has an excellent collection that are fascinating to explore.  

  Hearses may be veiled with mystery and intrigue due to pop culture and urban legends, yet there is no denying the impeccable craftsmanship that goes into making them. Flat wooden frames known as biers served as the first hearses. The term “hearse” derives from 13^th century England and was initially used for candelabra that were placed upon a coffin during a funeral. Subsequently, the term became used as a reference for horse drawn carriages that transported the casket to the burial site, which remained the practice until the early part of the 20^th century.

  A trip to the National Museum of Funeral History this month is a great time to ponder the upcoming year and all the future may hold while also exploring the history of hearses and taking a trip through time to understand some of the key elements of one of man’s oldest professions.