History
History of Embalming and Funeral Directing in Pinckney, Michigan.
Starting in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Mr. Charles Plimpton was Pinckney’s first embalmer. The embalmer was called at the time of death. This could be at any time, day or night. At that time and for many years afterwards, bodies were embalmed at the home where they lived.
During the course of his duties, Charles Plimpton hired a young man named Percy Swarthout. Mr. Plimpton had an adopted daughter named Dora whom Percy fell in love with. As time went on, Percy married her.
Percy Swarthout decided to become an embalmer, so he attended Worsham School of Embalming in Chicago, Illinois. Percy inherited the business when Charles Plimpton died.
Percy rented the top floor of the Pinckney Creamery as a place to store his materials. The creamery was located where the Pinckney Beer Garden once stood (just recently burned down). This also provided a place where Dora could line the caskets. At that time, the embalmers didn’t keep the caskets on display for people to choose. They would pick one from a catalog, mostly from Kammer Casket Co. in Detroit, Michigan, and have it shipped by train to the Pinckney Depot. The funeral was conducted at the home, very simple with no drapes.
In the early 1900’s, Percy decided to purchase a house on the corner of Mill and Unadilla Street kitty corner from the Pinckney Congregational Church because people were beginning to have funerals in churches. The house was large enough to display 15 caskets and Dora didn’t have to line them any longer because the casket company fully lined and placed a mattress in them.
Percy and Dora had a son named Don. When he became old enough he also became an embalmer and funeral director. Don and his dad still had funerals in the home when requested but the funeral home was a much richer and roomier place. Don arranged it so there was plenty of room for the funeral. He also had music piped to where the casket stood.
The business was in one family for 104 years until Don became ill and sold it to James Lamb. Jim made many changes to keep up with the times.
In 1979, Jim sold the funeral home to Brian Shelters who is the current owner.