The Business of Burying the Dead
in Early East Austin:
Black-owned Mortuaries.
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A 1938 map of East Austin shows two mortuaries in close proximity to the George Washington Carver Branch Library.[1] |
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Pictured is a contemporary photograph of the original Carver Library. This branch opened as the “Colored Branch” in 1933. It was re-named the George Washington Carver Branch Library in 1947.[2] |
| In 1938, the Fuller Funeral Home was directly
across Angelina Street from the library.
The Tears Funeral Home was on 12th Street, just two blocks north.
Both of these early Black-owned businesses were integral to the African American community in the first half of the 20th century.
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This website provides a history of two African American mortuaries and the families who owned them. Both funeral homes still operate in East Austin, now named King-Tears Mortuary, and Fuller Sheffield Funeral Services. This exhibit profiles the genealogies of each of these funeral home family enterprises, along with biographical information and portraits of many of the individuals.
The exhibit also examines the national historical context of the African American funeral business during the Jim Crow era.
The website concludes with a brief history of traditionally Black cemeteries in Austin, with an emphasis on the Bethany Cemetery.
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Home Historical Context Tears History Fuller History Black Cemeteries
[1] Austin, Travis Co. (1938). Sanborn Insurance Map. Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970. Map 1935*, v.2, #204. Retrieved September 10, 2007, from http://sanborn.umi.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/tx.
[2] City of Austin. (2007). George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Museum history. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/carver/history.htm.
