This Missouri Funeral Home Has A Museum You Have To See To Believe
By Liz Oliver|Published April 15, 2018
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Liz Oliver
Author
Liz is a Missouri native with a B.A. in English from Mizzou and a M.A. in Non-Profit Administration from Lindenwood University. She works for a STL metro-area community college and enjoys writing, traveling, and indoor cycling. Her true passion is forcing her encyclopedic knowledge of Missouri facts on uninterested strangers from across the globe!
This unassuming funeral home in St. Joseph has a hidden museum tucked away in the back of the building. The museum features caskets and historical artifacts that show off the advances of mortuary science. According to staff members, the museum came about partially through the merging of the different funeral homes. David Heaton owned the first funeral home in St. Joseph in 1842. The Sidenfaden Funeral Home opened after the Civil War and by the 1960s the Heaton-Smith Funeral Home and the Sidenfaden Funeral Home was purchased by the Smith’s who still own the business today. You’ll find many of the unique pieces found in the museum relate directly back to one of these three funeral parlors. It’s certainly a unique place to visit that will leave you with some great stories to to tell your friends about!
Located in the heart of St. Joseph is the Heaton-Bowman-Smith
& Sidenfaden Chapel. This funeral home looks like many others but beyond being just a funeral parlor, they also house one of the most unique funeral themed museums.
Some of the pieces were obtained when the Heaton Funeral Home was responsible for a funeral or burial. This photo shows Frank Grouard, scout and interpreter for General George Crook, at the Battle of Wounded Knee. Grouard had become quite famous after the American Indian War. He remained in St. Joseph until is death in 1905. His burial was handed by the Heaton Funeral Home.
This registrar used by the Heaton Funeral Home shows Mr. James' entry and his cause of death. You'll also notice that Mr. James' funeral services came at a much higher cost, likely due to his celebrity status.
This small metal casket was made for a child. At the time, the casket would have been sealed and you could only view the face of the deceased through the window.
If you're interested in history, the unusual, or end-of-life practices, you simply must visit the Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Funeral Museum. To see the museum, simply enter through the front of the chapel and ask a staff member for assistance. Admission is free but you'll want to be respectful of those who are at the chapel mourning loved ones.
