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The Philadelphia Crematorium
The Philadelphia Crematorium was completed in the Spring of 1888, the first cremation having taken place on May 1st of that year. It was the 9th crematory built in the US. In December of 1888, the...
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The Crematories of Seattle
Though the cremation movement in the Pacific Northwest began with the completion of the Portland Crematorium in 1901, Seattle certainly saw more growth in the number of crematories. Beginning with the...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: Someday Saying Goodbye
(As published in the Fall edition of "Urns & Outs" in the Dead Beat Magazine) My mom likes to bring up old stories from when I was a kid. She is particularly good at doing this when others are...
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The Odd Fellows Crematory, San Francisco, CA
In 1895, the Odd Fellows Cemetery in San Francisco saw the need for cremation facilities on their 20-acre cemetery in the heart of the city. Bernard J.S. Cahill was commissioned to design and construct...
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November & December Crematories
In the early history of cremation in the US, November and December have traditionally been very busy months for the addition of crematory facilities. America's first modern cremation took place on...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: "The Monuments Men"
(As published in Volume 14, Issue 4 of the Dead Beat Magazine)I recently (finally) took the time to watch the critically acclaimed movie “The Monuments Men” directed by George Clooney which was...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: The Memorial Idea
(As published in the Dead Beat magazine, Oct. 2015)From “The Memorial Idea” – by Jason Ryan Engler.MEMORIAL: the very word stirs within our hearts and minds the fond, yes reverent, recollections of...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: America's First Cremation
(As published in the Dead Beat magazine, Dec. 2015)It was a cold and rainy December day in 1876 when the Cremation movement in America made a major step forward. In the small town of Washington, Penn.,...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: The Lesson of Life
(As published in the Dead Beat magazine, Winter, 2016)I am a fan of opera music. Some people have difficulty listening to the intense vocal expressions offered by the world's great classical writers,...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: Don't Be Sad?!
As published in The Dead Beat, Summer, 2016.From years of experience, I have found that personal wishes are one of the most common discussions I have when friends and family discover that I am a...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: Music is Moral Law
(As published in the Dead Beat, Fall, 2016)It is no secret that I love Elton John. His contagious personality and music have always made me smile, and there are so many of his songs that I can’t help...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: Life is Alchemy
As published in The Dead Beat, Mid-Winter, 2017Beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries there was a phenomenon that pervaded Europe – the understanding that, through applied science, any base metal...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: The Sacred Urn
As published in The Dead Beat, Early Spring, 2017I was asked many years ago by my friend and historic crematory photographer Dan Baker about the connection of the shape of cremation urns and, more...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: Live Your Dreams!
As published in The Dead Beat, Spring, 2017I often find myself thinking on the past. I guess being a historian can produce that side effect. I often find myself wondering if I have made the right...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: It is NOT despair
As published in The Dead Beat, Summer, 2017I recently had the privilege to speak at a Funeral Directors Association convention in Maryland. Typically when I make presentations to various cremation,...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: History is Us
I enjoy and am humbled at the opportunities I get to travel and share the story of cremation’s history with deathcare professionals across the country. In August, I had the privilege to attend the 99th...
View ArticleUrns & Outs: Flame of the Everlasting Spirit
In May I had the good fortune to travel to Germany for several days where I enjoyed the fabled culture of good food, beautiful architecture, and friendly German people. As a historian does, I took the...
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