Davis Funeral Chapel in Leavenworth April 2, 2011
Davis Moulden's great-great-grandfather, J.B. Davis, started burying people in 1855, about six years before Kansas became a state, which makes Davis Funeral Chapel the oldest business still operating in the state or, at the very least, one of the oldest.
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The old Odd Fellows Hall in Leavenworth has been the home to Davis Funeral Chapel since 1911. The top story of the building was removed after a tornado damaged the building.
James C. Davis served as mayor of Leavenworth and was known as "Big-Hearted Jim." Davis was one of the first instructors in Kansas of a class on embalming. He was also one of the first toh use a motor hearse in 1909.
Debbie and Davis Moulden and their daughter Hope continue their more than 150 years in the funeral business in Leavenworth. The family dog, Windsor, is a fixture at the funeral home and often joins in the funeral services.
Davis Moulden reflects on his days as and undertaker in Leavenworth. Moulden's namesake, J.B. Davis, started the business in 1855 shortly after arriving in Kansas Territory.
Davis Undertaking used a horse-drawn hearse years before motorized hearses came into use.
J.B. Davis (left in doorway) and his son Thaddeus (with hat) came from Crab Orchard, Ky., in 1855 to Kansas Territory. At the J.B. Davis & Company store on Delaware Avenue in Leavenworth, they sold coffins and burial robes.
The chapel at Davis Funeral Chapel in Leavenworth. The Davis family business has operated in Leavenworth since 1855, making it the oldest business in the state.
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