Photo: Wikimedia Commons — see author and license on the file page.

Museum of Funeral Customs

Museum
In Springfield, Illinois
0.2 mi from Route 66

The Museum of Funeral Customs, near Springfield, IL, has closed; it shut its doors in 2009. For years it explained how Americans mourned their dead, with exhibits near Oak Ridge Cemetery, where Abraham Lincoln is buried. Its collection went to a museum in Carthage, Illinois, and since 2016 the same building has housed a museum of African-American history for the region.

What is Museum of Funeral Customs?

When it was open, the museum showed a re-created embalming room from the 1920s, coffins from many cultures and periods, photographs taken after death, and a small model of the train that carried Lincoln's body. It closed after attendance fell and its trust fund ran into trouble, and its holdings moved away in 2011.

Visiting Museum of Funeral Customs: tips

Nothing of the old museum is on show today. Instead, visit the history museum that now uses the building, less than a mile off the old road. The Rippon-Kinsella House is about 0.2 mile away and the World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial about 0.4 mile.

Practical info

Hours: Closed permanently
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Museum of Funeral Customs

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Charlie Parker's Diner
Springfield, IL · 3.8 mi from Museum of Funeral Customs
A Springfield diner dating from 1992, handy for a meal while exploring the Illinois capital on Route 66.
Diner & restaurant
Cozy Dog Drive In
Springfield, IL · 4.0 mi from Museum of Funeral Customs
A Springfield drive-in known for its cornmeal-battered Cozy Dogs, Route 66 memorabilia and guest book.