Hearse Shed

Before the mid-1800’s, hearses were seldom used for funerals. Pall bearers either carried the coffin by hand all of the way to the cemetary or the coffin was transported on a flatbed wagon. Hearses were usually owned by the community and were stored in a shed like this one.

This Hearse Shed was constructed in the early 1800’s and stood next to a graveyard on Bootland Hill in Newton, New Hampshire. It was used for many years to house the hearse of this small New England village.