The National Museum of Funeral History is a museum in Houston, Texas, that contains a collection of artifacts and relics that aim to “educate the public and preserve the heritage of death care.” The 35,000-square-foot museum opened in 1992.
The National Museum of Funeral History was founded in 1992 in Houston, Texas. The idea for the Museum grew from Robert L. Waltrip’s 25-year dream of establishing an institution to educate the public and preserve the heritage of death care.
The groundbreaking in February 1992 was followed later that year by the opening of a 20,500-square-foot facility for housing artifacts of the funeral services industry; items Mr. Waltrip had realized were otherwise being discarded. The Museum became a place to collect and preserve the history of the industry, including how it began and how it has evolved over time. The first major exhibit was a collection of vintage hearses, which continues to expand and fascinate visitors.
The museum is home to “the country’s largest collection of funeral service artifacts and features renowned exhibits on one of man’s oldest cultural customs,” according to its website. For its hallmark exhibit, Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes, the museum collaborated with the Vatican to highlight the ceremonies surrounding papal funerals. As of October 2020, the museum has a presidential exhibit, including Abraham Lincoln’s death mask.
Displays go back in time as far as Ancient Egyptian funerary practices and include items like hearses and unusual coffins. It also devotes space for a Presidential Funeral Gallery. Among other items, it has the original $99.25 funeral bill for George Washington.
According to nmfh.org; en.wikipedia. Source of photos: internet
