Heritage Center program

The Heritage Center will hold a free virtual program at 7 p.m. on Wednesday on Zoom about Springfield’s Funerary Industry. Registration can be found at https://cutt.ly/funerary. The evening will include a Q&A with a representative from Conroy Funeral Home. The modern funerary industry was born out of the devastating toll of the Civil War. Dr. A.A. Baker founded the Springfield Metallic Casket Company in 1886, followed by the Champion Chemical Company in 1888, which made embalming fluid, burial vaults, and other equipment. These businesses made Springfield a national player in the industry, a story important to local history.