Black Velvet Coffins and Five-Dollar Funerals

In the early days of Cleveland County there were no coffin stores and no undertakers as we know them today. When someone died, a local carpenter was called, and he often worked through the night to finish the coffin in time for burial. One such carpenter was Frank Stockton, who lived near Polkville. His daughter later recalled that the most expensive coffin her father ever made cost five dollars. This coffin was built from well-seasoned lumber kept on hand for that purpose and was covered on the outside with black velvet supplied by the family. Inside, both the coffin and the lid were padded with hand-carded cotton, and the lining was made of white bleaching cloth. Less expensive coffins were simply painted on the outside with lampblack and had no padding at all. Even so, these coffins served families throughout the county for many years before funeral businesses existed.

Source: Mamie Jones