National Museum of Funeral History – Houston, Texas
Yes, it’s true, Any Day Above Ground Is a Good One” is the slogan of the National Museum of Funeral History. This place is truly facinating and well worth the visit. It isn’t someplace that is all gorry and scary, it actually tells a great story about how taking care of the dead has evolved over the year.
With over 35,o00 square feet of exhibition space the National Museum of Funeral History is the largest educational center on Funeral Heritage in the United States.
There are many different displays and learning opportunities at the Museum including the Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes exhibit which took 3 years to complete and many hours of negotiation and work with the Vatican to obtain the information and materials for this exhibit. It includes a full-scale replica of Pope John Paul II’s crypt, and exact reproduction of the coffin used in the funerals of three previous Popes and other replicas of other Papal vestments by the tailor shop that has made the vestments of the last 7 Popes.
Have you always wanted to see the Popemobile? Here you can see the one that was used by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the United Kingdom in 1982. There are accompanying displays regarding the Pope making this truly an interesting part of your visit.
Learn about Dias de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead while at the Museum. This festival runs from October 31 through November 2. (Halloween – All Souls Day). This is when the indigenous people believe that the dead return to visit the living. Ancestors are honored by creating ofrendas also known as (memory tables or altars) in their homes and redecorating gravesites in cemeteries. Death is mocked with toy skeletons and candy skulls. You will see this display while touring the Museum.
The Casket Factory was designed from original plans and pictures to showcase the skill used in constructing the wood caskets. The artifacts incluse a range from handmade sanders to the sawdust located on the floor.
You will see a number of different styles of hearses from the horse drawn to the motor driven.
You can see the embalming exhibit and how the first electric embalming machine worked. The process of embalming has come a long way since the days of the Civil War and even as little as 30 years ago. Probably not something most people want to spend a lot of time thinking about, but certainly an interesting exhibit and history.
You will be able to see the whole Museum in about an hour and a half. Some want to see more and so it may take a little longer but it truly is something that you will be able to tell your friends about and they will either think it is awesome or you are truly strange.
Location: 415 Barren Springs Dr., Houston, TX
Hours: Monday – Friday 1o AM – 4 PM, Saturday and Sunday 12 -4.
Phone: 281-876-3063
Email: info@nmfh.org
Related posts:
About Editor