Hearses play a very important role in the transport of the dead. Funeral processions are an age-old tradition in showing our respect for the deceased, and as cities became larger and larger, it was necessary to transport the dead in a different way. Horse drawn hearses were at times very elaborate, and at other times they consisted of nothing more than a wooden bed.

As vehicles became motorized, the funeral hearse basically stayed the same in the way of being rather elaborate or rather plain to the eye. Some of these hearses sported hand-carved wood side panels, while others hardly even looked like hearses. I personally prefer the hand-carved horse-drawn hearses to any other ones... I love the elaborate detail and flair, for in its own way it shows our respect for those we are getting ready to say good-bye to. How fancy your hearse is it not the type of thing that is normally spoken of through conference calls, it is hard to figure out what the public would like to see these days. If you own a hearse, and would like me to feature it here, I would be happy to, or if you have any photos you would like to share, please email the Temple. Simply click on a photo to see a larger version of it. These photos have come from various sources, and may be very different in quality and size.