CASKETS PLUS A BIT OF FAIR GROVE HISTORY
Published 3:08 pm Wednesday, September 30, 2026
CASKETS PLUS A BIT OF FAIR GROVE HISTORY
It being so close to Halloween, I thought I would write about caskets. A story I don’t know if it is true, but it was told for the truth, I believe by Harold Goss. For those of you who have no idea who I’m talking about, he was a teller at the Fair Grove Bank, located to begin with in what was later fondly called the Hood Building, now occupied by Monroe Coffee House.
I guess I should first tell you about the oldest photo of Fair Grove the Historical Society has. It was taken showing the corner of what is now Main Street and Highway 125. It is looking south, and the building I’m talking about was in the foreground. Supposedly when that building was being torn down, they found a casket with a body in it. I’m remembering caskets were stored in that building.
I’ll throw this bit of history in here: At one time there was a creamery near that same intersection. According to its history, “The plant stood at the junction of Mill Street and North Avenue and was destroyed by fire in 1914.”
The two photos I’m sharing today are courtesy Mike Blair. The first one was an advertisement display (dated 1897) set up purposely to show merchandise including a child’s casket. Shown in the picture is Robert A. Blair (Uncle Bob), undertaker and casket maker at the L. B. Beckerdite General Store.
The other photo featured L. B. Beckerdite standing in front of his store. This building is where the fire of 1917 started. The upper portion served as the Odd Fellow’s Lodge (I.O.O.F.) No. 387. To the right is Fair Grove’s first post office.
This next story was originally told to me by Madge Coble. I hope I’m remembering it correctly. The baby of a young girl she knew passed away. And being unable to afford or get transportation to transport the casket to Bass Chapel, somebody, maybe her husband Harry, took the casket to the graveyard.
A Fair Grove Historical and Preservation Society play, “Seems Like Old Times” performed Sept. 10, 1983, featured a casket being carried across the stage. I’m sure the narration included Mr. Blair’s name. The pine box casket was made by Jerry Hankins. His two sisters were the writers and directors of the play.
I live across from the Elm Spring Cemetery. Many years ago while traveling down the road past that entrance, I noticed a casket leaning up against a tree. It was quite startling to see such a sight, so I called Peggy Jacques whom I figured would know why and so forth? She laughed and said her children had rented the casket for a Halloween party and hadn’t returned it yet.
While my brother Jerry Thomas operated Ornate Interiors, located in the three-store grouping fondly called Hood’s Grocery and Feed, in the back of the middle section, up on a shelf, was a casket. I have absolutely no idea where he got it, or what happened to it.
The Fair Grove Heritage Reunion wrapped up this past weekend, with lots of booths, lots of food, and lots of activities that brought lots of visitors. And of course there were cars, trucks, tractors, horse drawn buggies and wagons, and many other things in the parade. And in keeping with this column about caskets, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Klinger hearse that graced the grounds many years ago.
Is that enough scary Halloween stuff? I think so.
