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Local Business Spotlight
February 2005
From 1908 through today the Reynoldsville Casket Company (RCC) has provided the US with
the finest caskets a funeral director could ask for. The firm that is now Reynoldsville Casket Company
began in Brookville, PA in 1908. Four years later it was moved to Reynoldsville and reorganized under
the name Pennsylvania Burial Case Company.
Though there were some unfinished and uncovered caskets used during this time, most were covered
with gray or black cloth and lined with ivory satin. Caskets manufactured during these early years were
of wood purchased from nearby sawmills, supporting central Pennsylvania's thriving lumber industry.
Funeral directors of the day bought casket shells and customized both the interior and exterior for the
needs of their customers; good supplies of handles and ornaments were generally kept on hand for
placement on the casket, and the interior lining of the customer's choice was installed in the casket on
the funeral director's premises, often by the funeral director's wife or other family members.
Funeral practice changed drastically and permanently following the 1918 flu epidemic, which swept the
nation and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Funeral directors found themselves unable to meet the
demand for caskets, which led to both an increase in the number of casket manufacturers and inspired
existing manufacturers to provide caskets ready-fitted with interiors and hardware. Wood continued to
be the primary material for casket construction until the late 1930s, when metal caskets became popular.
Pennsylvania Burial Case started manufacturing metal caskets in 1938.
Since 1981 the company has ambitiously sought and can proudly say it has achieved a presence in the
funeral industry. Reynoldsville Casket has completed its 3rd expansion adding 23,000 square feet of
warehousing space at Reynoldsville in 2004. Previous to this the company completed construction of
36,000 square feet in 2 different building projects aimed at expanding and modernizing its production.
In addition, a new building was also erected for warehousing at the company’s Pittsburgh location.
While Reynoldsville Casket carries a standard line of 200 units available in full couch and perfection cut,
Reynoldsville has also made itself a known competitor in customization. Its modern conveyor-driven
production line has been designed in such a fashion that personalized casket orders are introduced each
and every production day without interfering with daily planned production. The company stocks 40 shell
styles, almost 300 hardware styles, 60 different fabric choices and 200 different embroidered panels
making the possible combinations almost endless.
With fully stocked warehouses in Pittsburgh, Allentown, Youngstown and Buffalo, the majority of caskets
produced are shipped direct to funeral homes, with a significant portion also now being sold to
distributors. Interested funeral directors and distributors are invited to tour our modern & innovative
facilities. Inquiries are welcomed. Over the past six months, RCC has build one of the nations most
creative and informative casket web sites listing each of our caskets and providing such features as
close-up images and director and reseller logins. Please let us know your thoughts about this new
addition to our business.
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