National Museum of Funeral History in Houston Puts Death on Display

The National Museum of Funeral History in Houston may be macabre, but it' certainly interesting- and comprehensive. The museum displays everything from hearses to caskets and even cadaver replicas- from the deep past and all over the globe.

There's displays on funerals of historical significance such as footage from presidential and Vatican funerals.   There's even displays on the Challenger disaster and a real ticket to Michael Jackon's funeral (I totally forgot that was a ticketed event- how bizarre).

There are caskets ranging from the very simple rough-hewn wood of the American Frontier:

And ornate replicas of the ancient Egyptian caskets made specifically for the very elite. There's even a crab casket from Ghana.

There's large installations that show a Victorian mourning parlor and Victorian mourning garb. There's also a modern Dias de Muertos scene.

Of course, there are also displays of the mortuary process, including a vintage embalming table, complete with drainage bucket (eww).

Personally, I love Forensic Files and other "morbid" TV and I'll visit almost any museum, so the next time I'm in Houston I'll be visiting this oddity. In the meantime, here's a pretty good Youtube video of the experience: