A brass badge reading “Falconer Bros • Undertakers • New Market, MD.” ties this Mid-19th Century Horse-drawn Hearse to the Falconer Brothers Undertakers of New Market, Frederick County, Maryland — a firm operating during the American Civil War. The original brass name plaques were found hidden beneath the coffin bed during restoration. The hearse is attributed to Nuffer and Lippe of New York based on a catalog illustration published in Michael D’Amato’s Horse-Drawn Funeral Vehicles (2004), and it shares striking similarities with a hearse in the collection of Museum Village in Monroe, New York.
The hearse was later part of the Rohr Museum, a private vehicle collection in Manassas, Virginia, before being acquired by Darkwing Manor at auction in 1998. In 1999 it was damaged in a hit-and-run incident, prompting a two-year, $10,000 restoration at Lloyd’s Harness and Carriage Shop in Earlysville, Virginia. Since then it has been used seasonally as a static prop and stored in a covered building.
The hearse retains its original curved front and back panel glass, curved molded trim, and fabric interior lining, along with original brass hardware including coffin rollers and side rails, flower vases, and an owner’s plaque. It also includes two brass oil lanterns, an upholstered leather seat cushion, and a boot cover. For driving use, it is equipped with rubber-rimmed wheels, a single sulky hitch, and a double-tree hitch and tongue.
Specifications
- Type: Horse-drawn hearse (mid-19th century)
- Attributed Builder: Nuffer and Lippe, New York
- Length: 156 in (front tree ring to back door handle)
- Width: 70.5 in (outside of wheel hubs)
- Height: Approximately 81 in
- Provenance: Falconer Brothers Undertakers, New Market, Frederick County, Maryland; Rohr Museum, Manassas, Virginia; Darkwing Manor (acquired at auction, 1998)
- Location: Medford, Oregon
Status: ARCHIVED via eBay — last seen listed at $9,000 in Medford, Oregon (August 2023)