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The oldest funeral home in Richmond
10/28/2013 11:45 AM by John M
RVA News has a look at Billups Funeral Home, the oldest in Richmond:
In 1850, [Lafayette Washington Billups] opened L.W. Billups & Son Undertakers at 1506 E. Main Street. “In those days, everybody’s casket was wood,” Barden said. Billups had previous carpentry experience as a cabinet maker while living in Rosslyn, Virginia before moving south. “Little by little, he got out of the carpentry business and went into the funeral business only,” Barden said.
Billups died in 1893, transferring the business to his son, John. “By then [the business] was getting real busy,” Barden said. “So he decided to come up on The Hill.” John Billups reopened the business in Church Hill at 2500 E. Marshall Street in 1925, where it remains.
What an interesting artical. Thank you for posting this. It is an interesting piece of information and did come to know that the Billups family were in the funeral business.
Does anyone know anything more about this family?
I own one half of the Billups Double house located at 2608 M Street. It is a fantastic 1500 Sq Ft home that my brother and I bought and renovated. Mike and I worked very hard to keep the architectural integrity of the home inside and out. I truly love the ChurcHill neighborhood and I am very proud of this little home.
Just thought I would share……………
John, think the history is a little flawed on the building at Marshall Street. It was built and opened in 1917 and not 1925. I have the newspaper ads to prove it 🙂 And I believe it was Charles Billips that built it. He also built the blue Queen Anne house on the corner of 25th and Clay in 1898 and several other houses along 25th Street.
What is interesting is the fact that the building’s façade is considered “Colonial Revival”. Around the corner at 406 N 25th stood the “Patrick Henry Theatre” (built 1933 and demolished in 1967) and it too had a Colonial Revival façade not unlike that of Billups except there were 4 concrete urns along the roof edge. Even then they thought about architecture that fits in but times were changing during the depression era. In the November issue of the CHA Newsletter I address the history of Church Hill’s three movie theatres hence my research about the block and knowing about Billups opening date.
Not to start any rumors but concerned about Billups & Sons Funeral Home. Has anyone heard anything recently about their status? I am trying to contact them to obtain a picture of Charles Jackson Billups for my upcoming article but having no success reaching anyone?
My article about the Billups Funeral Home and its history which was slated for this month, will be published in the June issue of the CHA Newsletter… look for it.
Does anyone know the status of Billups? There is no activity seen other than Mr. Barden stopping in occasionally. The last funeral notice for them in the newspaper was February last year and only 2 funerals in 2015 and only 6 the previous year. None for 2016. I would hate to see this close with the history behind it and is a Church Hill institution. I wrote an article about the business in June 2014 (pages 10-13)
http://www.churchhill.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2014JUN_web.pdf
Billups is fine and well while helping families to this very day
I asked this same question before but I am still as concerned as before. I saw just 6 funerals handled by Billups in 2015 and only 4 the entire year of 2016. None thus far this year. How can a funeral home stay in business with so few funerals? I never see services happening at their location and they do not even own their own hearses or limousines. What is the future for Billups?