The introduction of funeral homes in the 1910s and 1920s complicated the relationship between the bereaved and funeral professionals. As fewer funerals were conducted in the home, funeral directors created a separate commercial space in which to conduct business and hold the last sad rites. The locations of these establishments became contested when funeral directors needed to build new structures or renovate existing ones to meet new expectations. [empty line] Many funeral professionals tried to implement funeral directors’ advice manuals’ suggestion of placing funeral parlors in residential neighborhoods. Manuals asserted that such placement would enhance the “homey” atmosphere of establishments and that these locations would be more convenient for bereaved consumers. Unfortunately for funeral directors and embalmers, residents were unwilling to share their neighborhoods’ tranquility with these kinds of establishments. Citing decreased property values and emotional distress, residents looked to the government to keep funeral homes out of their neighborhoods. [empty line] Cities and towns applied nuisance and zoning laws to keep establishments out of residential areas and these laws became the basis for lawsuits. Homeowners’ lawsuits made it to State Supreme Courts in Washington State, Kansas, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, and California. The public’s ignorance of how funeral establishments operated encouraged homeowners’ imaginations run wild. Homeowners hid behind zoning laws and concerns about sanitation to mask their fears about the realities of death. This was underlying cause of residential communities’ efforts to ensure that their “backyard” was free of the grim specter of death.
About the presenterKelly Brennan Arehart
I graduated with my PhD in 2014 from the College of William and Mary. My project focuses on the history of the funeral industry in the United States; looking primarily at undertakers in the long nineteenth century. My research interests include American deathways,cultural history, medical history, and business history.