Kirk & Nice Turns 250 Years Old

Kirk & Nice Funeral Home, originally located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, was established in 1761 and is the oldest funeral home in America. 

To commemorate this anniversary and share it with the community, Kirk & Nice Funeral Home along with George Washington Memorial Park held a free paper shredding event and invited the attendees to peruse the historical display inside the funeral home as Kirk & Nice also sponsored an open house that day. A timeline of the funeral homes’ history along with artifacts that chronicle not only the progression of Kirk & Nice from cabinet and furniture making to funeral directing, but the progression of the funeral industry itself, were on display for all to see.

One item available for viewing was a Christopher Sauer Bible. This bible, published in 1763, is the first German bible printed on American soil. With strong pages made from wood pulp, it has stood the test of time and is a sight to see. Also on display was a Gleeson board, or portable embalming table, such as the one used to perform the embalming procedure on President Abraham Lincoln so his body could be viewed by the nation after his assassination in 1865.  There was a Kirk Family Genealogy Book covering 1687-1912, and a scrapbook that belonged to Benjamin Franklin Kirk detailing his 8 week train trip across the nation in 1898.  There were also Kirk & Nice funeral bills from 1877, a business ledger showing an 1830 transaction of the sale of the business for $2200.00, and a Funeral Directors Convention booklet from 1891 showing B.F. Kirk as a speaker at the convention. These items were just a few of the rare pieces of history on display at the event.

The shred event was free to the public and was a great success. The funeral home and memorial park staff thought an event of this type was perfectly suited to our industry, as it is a continuation of the service that can be provided to our families. After a death occurs, families are left with paperwork and sensitive material that they may not know what to do with. This provided an opportunity to help the community and let our neighbors see what Kirk & Nice and George Washington Memorial Park have to offer them, along with the chance to celebrate an amazing piece of history……

CLICK HERE to see the Times Herald Article and Video covering this event.