National Museum of Funeral History

I love museums of all kinds: modern and fine art, natural science, and history. My parents visited recently and a trip to the National Museum of Funeral History was on their “must do” list. We visited the museum’s north Houston location early on a Monday afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found: an extensive, varied collection on the history of funerals, burial and death rituals. Smaller “niche” museums sometimes disappoint but this one does not.

First Impressions

The museum is about 30 minutes north of the city of Houston, an easy drive up I-45, and is located just off the Richey exit (exit 64) at 415 Barren Springs Dr. (map). The first surprise of the day was the building-it was huge! I had expected a tiny hole-in-the-wall with a couple of old caskets and a few informational posters. Instead I found a spacious building with a cheery foyer. A sign on a table inside the front door requests that guests sign in and note where they heard about the museum. To the right of the entrance is the gift shop and admission desk. After paying for our entry ($10 per adult, $9 for seniors and veterans, $7 for children under 12 and free for children 3 and younger) we were given a token which we inserted into a subway-style turnstile to gain entrance into the exhibit hall.

The presidential funeral hearse used in the funerals for Presidents Reagan and Ford.

U.S. Presidents

The section on U.S. President was my favorite. In addition to photographs and informational posters, the displays include memorabilia ranging from official thank you stationary to funeral programs to itemized funeral expense bills for various presidential funerals. Did you know that President Woodrow Wilson’s funeral cost $1568, or that the funeral for President Dwight D. Eisenhower cost $2681?

Police & Military

An exhibit dedicated to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier includes a replica guard in full dress uniform, a flag from Arlington National Cemetery and a short film that covers the history of the site. The museum also has a moving September 11, 2001 memorial and a dedicated exhibit honoring fallen police officers.

The Pope

The hall dedicated to the death and funeral ritual of the head of the Vatican is arguably the most impressive aspect of the museum. “Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes” depicts, in great detail, the process by which popes are honored after death through ceremony and through the interment process. Further, the exhibit includes a history of The Vatican, papal garments, popes as heads of state and faith and replicas of caskets and tombs in which popes are buried. The actual Popemobile from John Paul II’s 1982 visit to the United States is also on display.

Embalming

There is a diorama in a back corner of the museum which depicts a Civil War-era medical tent, and which is set up to illustrate the way in which bodies were embalmed. The exhibit centers around Dr. Thomas Holmes, a New York City doctor who was a pioneer in the field of embalming.

The photo featured in this exhibit was taken at the Marsellus Casket Factory in the early 1900s.

Caskets, Carriages and Hearses

Throughout the museum a variety of caskets, carriages and hearses are on display. From the plainest wooden coffin to the most beautiful silk-lined caskets for heads of state, it’s touching to consider the intention for each of the vessels was as a final resting place for someone’s loved one. There are restored and replica horse-drawn carriage/hearses and an array of motorized hearses from the last century. Some of the hearses are open, with displays of caskets and informational plaques inside, describing who might have ridden in such a vehicle and when. The 1900s Casket Factory exhibit includes photos and information about the Marsellus Casket Factory in Syracuse, NY. The 131-year-old factory closed in 2003, but remains world-famous for its caskets, in which Presidents Nixon and Kennedy, and football legend Vince Lombardi (among others) were buried.

International Exhibits

The museum has a section reserved for the funeral and burial rituals of other countries and cultures. “A Life Well Lived: Fantasy Coffins” is an exhibition of coffins shaped like cars, animals and airplanes. The artist, Kane Quaye, is from Ghana and got his start building these “fantasy coffins” when a dying relative requested one be built for him. The idea behind the coffins is that they are personal to the deceased; representative of a part of their personality or their life’s work. There is also a Day of the Dead exhibit and a traditional Japanese funeral exhibit.

Some hearses were somber black, others such as this one, were more colorful.

Visitor Information

The National Museum of Funeral History-whose motto is “Any Day Above Ground Is A Good One”-is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM – 4 PM, Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM and Sunday 12 PM – 5 PM. Groups of 25 or more are eligible for a group rate of $8 per person. The facility is handicap accessible and there are many benches throughout the museum if you need to take a break.

Photos from the personal collection of Christina Uticone and Joshua Payne.