Defunct Funeral Parlors of Berks County

914 Franklin St., Reading

 

Previously, I wrote blog posts about the defunct funeral parlors of Luzerne County and Franklin County, and today we'll turn our attention to Berks County. Like many counties in Pennsylvania, Berks County has a long tradition of railroading, farming and manufacturing-- industries which were extremely dangerous in the 19th century, and, when combined with the explosive population growth these industries produced, provided ample opportunities for up-and-coming undertakers to ply their trade. Here is a collection of eleven historical undertaking establishments.

1. Jacob Kunsman Undertaking Parlor, (circa 1870s) 914 Franklin Street, Reading (pictured above).

One of the earliest undertakers in the city of Reading, Jacob Kunsman was born in 1813 and was a carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade before becoming an undertaker and embalmer. Unlike many self-taught maverick morticians of the era (whose carelessness with embalming fluids often led to chronic health problems), Kunsman enjoyed a long, healthy life, operating his Franklin Street establishment until his retirement in 1875. He passed away in 1893 at the age of 80. Today, the former undertaking establishment is a private residence.

 

1015 Penn St.

2. J.R. Henninger Funeral Parlor (1870-1873), 1015 Penn Street, Reading.

 
Thanks to three enterprising brothers, Henninger was the first name in funerals for Berks County residents thoughout much of the 19th century. In 1839, cabinetmaker Frederick Rapp Henninger became a partner in an undertaking business established by his uncle, Frederick Haberaker. After Haberaker's death in 1850, Frederick Rapp Henninger relocated the business to South Seventh Street. Upon Frederick's retirement, his brother, Charles R. Henninger, established an undertaking business of his own at 716 Penn Street. This business, which stood on the present site of Santander Arena, remained at the same address for 45 years and was eventually taken over by Charles' son, Hiram.

During the Civil War, a third brother, John R. Henninger, who was a shoemaker by trade, also entered the profession, and he remained with Charles until 1870, when he established his own funeral parlor at 1015 Penn Street. Sometime around 1873 or 1874 he moved to 1025 Penn Street (this building is no longer stanging; the current structure at this address was built in 1894 by cigar manufacturer William Yocum). J.R. Henninger's son, Hunter, later joined him as a partner and took over the business in 1890 after his father's death.

 An 1873 article from the Reading Times reveals the dominance of the Henningers; of the 1403 funerals in the city during the preceding year, Charles Henninger prepared 1,083 of the bodies for burial, while J.R. Henninger handled 98. In other words, over 84% of all bodies buried in Reading that year were prepared by a Henninger! But perhaps an even more impressive fact is that the Henninger Funeral Home, which has been located at North Fifth Street since 1917, continues to operate to this day. Now in its seventh generation of family ownership, the funeral home can trace its roots back nearly 200 years-- a feat that is perhaps unmatched anywhere in the United States.

 

917 N. 9th St.

 

3. Harry B. Mengel Funeral Parlor (circa 1909-1928), 917 North 9th St., Reading.

Harrison B. Mengel was a leading undertaker in Reading during the early 1900s, operating a funeral home from his personal residence until his premature death in 1928 at the age of 57. Harrison Mengel died from heart failure in the bathroom of his home; incidentally, his father, Isaac, died in the exact same manner in his home on North 10th Street just seven days later. Today, the former funeral parlor is a private residence.

11 S. 10th St. (on right)

 

4. Dougherty Funeral Service (circa 1909-1938), 11 South Tenth Street, Reading.

Born in Easton, John R. Dougherty learned the undertaking business from his father before settling in Reading in 1909, where he opened a funeral home at 9 South Tenth Street. He later moved the business next door. He was one of the first funeral directors to hold a state license, having been issued his license in 1895. In 1932, five years before his death from a heart attack at the age of 63, Dougherty served as president of the Funeral Directors' Association of Pennsylvania. In 1934, his son, John, Jr., joined him in business, but did not achieve the level of success attained by his father and grandfather. In 1938, the property was sold to pay off outstanding debts. John R. Doughtery, Jr., passed away in 1994. The property, which once housed the Red Star Saloon, presently appears to be vacant.

107 N. 9th St.

5. John J. Kern, Undertaker & Embalmer, 107 North Ninth Street, Reading (1903-1904)

 
One of the most interesting undertakers in the history of Berks County was John Joseph Kern. Born in Reading in 1874 to German immigrant parents, Kern tried his hand at several careers before becoming an undertaker. He worked at Pomeroy's Department Store as a boy (then known as Dives, Pomeroy & Stewart) before apprenticing as a printer. Tiring of this line of work, he landed a job in the car shops of the Reading Railway Company to learn the blacksmithing trade, but soon grew restless and apprenticed as an undertaker under George H. Felix of the Felix & Neidert establishment. For some reason, Kern took a liking to this field and remained an undertaker for the remainder of his life.

In July of 1903 he went into business for himself, establishing a funeral parlor at 107 North 9th Street. The following year he moved to 117 North Ninth Street (see below), where he remained until his death in 1915 at the age of 43. A forward thinker, Kern was instrumental in the formation of the Harrison Mutual Burial Association, of which he was president. The only organization of its kind at the time, this "cost-sharing" organization was established to provide funds for the burial expenses of its members. He is buried at Gethsemane Cemetery in Laureldale, where his mentor, George Felix, is also buried.

117 N. 9th St.

 

6. E.A. Kern Funeral Home, 117 North Ninth Street, Reading (1904-1946)

 After John Kern's premature death, the business was operated by his widow, Emma A. Kern. A member of the Reading Funeral Directors' Association and of the Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties Funeral Directors' Association, Emma was the only female funeral director in Reading from 1928 up until the time of her death in 1946. Today, the building is the site of the Grace & Hope Mission, which purchased the property in September of 1947.

 

314 N. 4th St.

  

7.  C.E. Greenawalt & Son Funeral Parlor, (circa 1917-1930)  314 North Fourth Street, Reading.

Born in Lehigh County in 1875, Charles E. Greenawalt learned the trade by apprenticing under his father, a country undertaker from  the rural village of Steinsville. Unlike his father, however, Charles prided himself in keeping up to date with the latest embalming techniques and innovations and, in 1917, he moved to Reading and set up a funeral home on North Fourth Street, taking his son, Walter, into partnership in 1920. In 1930, Charles and Walter relocated to 800 North Fifth Street. Charles passed away in 1939 at the age of 63.

800 N. 5th St.

 

8. Greenawalt Funeral Home (circa 1930-1940), 800 North Fifth Street, Reading.

The gorgeous brick building at 800 North Fifth Street was originally known as the Dice Mansion, and is the former home of Reading Railroad president Agnew Thomson Dice. The property was purchased by the Greenawalts in November of 1930 and completely remodeled into a state-of-the-art facility. They were also the first funeral directors in the city to use a limousine hearse. After the death of his father, Walter Greenawalt relocated his funeral home to Orwigsburg and then, later, to Shillington. Today, the former Dice Mansion is a dental office.

39 E. Lancaster Ave., Shillington

 

9. Walter S. Greenawalt Funeral Home (1953-1956), 39 East Lancaster Avenue, Shillington

Walter, along with his wife, Loretta, opened a funeral home in Shillington, but this venture was short-lived; in 1956, the property was sold at a sheriff's sale. Today, the former funeral parlor is the home of European Medical Massage & Spa.

130 N. 9th St.

10. Irvin Cramp Funeral Home (1908-1919), 130 North Ninth Street, Reading.

The Cramp family can trace its roots in the undertaking business back to the time of the Civil War, when Chester County cabinetmaker Charles Cramp went to work for Charles Henninger making caskets and coffins-- a position he held for 35 years. Irvin Cramp, one of Charles' six sons, also learned the trade from the Henningers, and, in 1908, established a funeral parlor at 130 N. Ninth St., which stands today as a private residence.

In the summer of 1917, Irvin contracted blood poisoning while embalming a diseased body, which infected his right leg. He was taken to Homeopathic Hospital, where he underwent two unsuccessful operations. During the final operation, which took place on August 23, 1917, his leg was amputated at the knee, but Irvin died the following day from complications. He was 46 at the time of his death.

After Irvin's death, his wife, Laura Susan(Angstadt) Cramp, took over the business, which was later relocated to Washington Street. A member of the Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties Funeral Directors' Association, Laura Cramp, along with Emma Kern (see entry #6), were two of the first female morticians in Reading. Sadly, Laura died in a similar fashion as her husband; in 1928, her son, Irvin, Jr., found her sick and near death on the floor of her home. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died a short time later. She was 59 years old.

839 Washington St.

11. Cramp Funeral Home, (circa 1919-1946), 839 Washington Street, Reading

In May of 1919, Emma Cramp moved the funeral home from North Ninth Street to 839 Washington Street. After her death in 1928, her son, Irvin, Junior, took control of the business. The younger Irvin, who was just 14 when he began learning the trade from his father, he earned his funeral director license in 1925 after graduating from the Eckels College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. In October of 1946, Irvin relocated to 934 Centre Avenue, where the Cramp-Hummel Funeral Home stands today.

 Plagued by illness during the final years of his life, Irvin was semi-retired when he turned over the Centre Avenue location to one of his assistants, Richard Geiger. Irvin passed away in 1953 at the age of 50. In 2015, the Geiger family sold the business to Mark Hummel, who continues to carry on the business.