Throwback Thursday: Columbarium of the Missouri Crematory Association
An early photo of the Columbarium of the Missouri Crematory Association in St. Louis, Missouri. Built in 1895 adjacent to the Missouri Crematory, their Columbarium was the first building in the US built for the purpose of permanent memorialization for cremated remains. Both buildings are still in existence and are now known as Valhalla’s Hillcrest Abbey. (Photo from the collection of Jason Ryan Engler, www.cremationhistorian.com)