National Casket Company
| Industry | Funeral products manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Stein Manufacturing Company, Hamilton, Lemmon, and Arnold Company, Chappell, Chase, Maxwell, and Company |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Founder | C. William Chappell, Benjamin E. Chase, John F. Tuttle |
| Defunct | 1980s |
| Headquarters | Oneida (principal office in Boston) , United States |
Area served | United States and Canada (34 cities east of the Rocky Mountains) |
Key people | C. William Chappell (founder and first president), William D. Hamilton (president from 1909), Philip B. Heintz (manager from 1922), Howard M. Tuttle (president in 1951), Leo Stein (general manager and vice-president in 1951) |
| Products | Caskets, hearses, embalming fluids, funeral apparatus |
Number of employees | 248 (in Garrard County, Kentucky in 1976) |
| Parent | Walco National Corporation (from 1969), Gulf and Western Industries (from 1980) |
The National Casket Company emerged as a prominent American producer of caskets and funeral-related products, established in 1880 through the consolidation of Stein Manufacturing Company (Rochester, New York), Hamilton, Lemmon, and Arnold Company (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), and Chappell, Chase, Maxwell, and Company (Oneida, New York). The firm adopted the National Casket Company title in 1890. Through a series of strategic acquisitions, it grew to become the largest casket manufacturer globally by 1951. In 1969, it merged with Fred Richmond's Walco National Corporation but experienced decline after Richmond's fraud conviction. The company ceased operations during or following the 1980s.
Early years
Incorporated under New York State’s Manufacturing Corporation Act of 1848 with an initial capital investment of $3 million—later raised to $6 million—National Casket was based in Oneida. Its inaugural president and general manager was C. William Chappell, a founding entrepreneur who started as a clerk before entering the funeral industry alongside partners Benjamin E. Chase and John F. Tuttle in 1876.
By 1881, National Casket had expanded its presence by opening branches in New York City and Syracuse. The company strengthened its market position by acquiring Boston Casket Company (Boston), Maryland Burial Case Company (Baltimore), and D.E. Chase Company (Albany) by 1891, thereby consolidating its influence within the death care sector.
Prosperity in the early 20th century
By 1901, National Casket had extended its reach through acquisitions across Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; and New Haven, Connecticut. The company crafted the intricately hand-carved mahogany casket used for President William McKinley's funeral in 1901. In the early decades of the century, it operated a manufacturing facility in Niagara, Toronto, which remained active until its closure in 1973.
Following the death of founder Chappell in 1909, William D. Hamilton from Pittsburgh assumed leadership. That year marked the launch of a nationwide magazine advertising campaign; National Casket became a prominent advertiser in the Confederate Veteran. In 1908, it earned first prize at a Southern heritage parade with a float adorned with Confederate themes. By 1912, marketing efforts included promoting "Confederate gray broadcloth-covered caskets" aimed at veterans of the Confederate Army.
In addition to caskets, National Casket manufactured funeral apparatus such as hearses and embalming fluids. In 1912, its embalmers aided in handling victims from the Titanic tragedy. Noteworthy is that former baseball player Harry Fritz joined the company after his retirement in 1915. The firm acquired a warehouse facility in Scottdale, Pennsylvania from the United States Casket Company in 1919; this location operated until its closure in 1971.
Philip B. Heintz from Boston became manager in 1922. Under his direction, the company introduced standardized branch designs integrating offices, storage warehouses, and client showrooms within single buildings. During the 1920s, approximately 200 funeral cars annually were supplied from Kissel Motor Car Company through National Casket’s distribution channels. The company gained additional attention when escapologist Harry Houdini famously escaped from one of its robust hickory coffins secured with six-inch screws. After the death of Ol' Rip the Horned Toad in 1929, National Casket provided his exhibition casket.
By 1944, Steinway & Sons—a diversified supplier—was providing coffins to National Casket. The company innovated by introducing fiberglass-reinforced plastic coffins as an economical alternative to traditional bronze models.
By 1951, National Casket had established itself as the largest global manufacturer of caskets and funeral supplies with operations spanning 34 cities east of the Rocky Mountains and managing 15 factories. Howard M. Tuttle held the presidency while Leo Stein served as general manager and first vice-president. Although headquartered in New York State, its principal office was situated in Boston. The Oneida factory was closed in 1967 due to obsolete equipment; that facility was destroyed by fire in 2006.
Merger with Walco and Subsequent Decline
In 1969, the National Casket Company underwent a significant diversification by merging with Walco National Corporation, led by U.S. Congressman Fred Richmond. At that period, National Casket ranked as the second-largest casket producer in the United States. Walco gained considerable profits by obtaining shares in firms unwilling to be linked with it and then imposing high premiums for repurchasing those shares. Richmond was later convicted of fraud and imprisoned in 1982.
By 1976, National Casket had become a prominent employer in Garrard County, Kentucky, employing 248 workers with an annual payroll totaling $1.5 million. In 1980, Walco divested National Casket to Gulf and Western Industries for $12.5 million. Gulf and Western had previously acquired Wallace Metal Products, a manufacturer of coffin hardware, in 1979 and subsequently faced scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission over potential monopoly issues. During the 1980s, National Casket experienced several changes in ownership before eventually ceasing operations.