2009 Orphan Car Show: 1927 Graham Child's Hearse
Graham child's hearse – Click above for high-res image gallery
We headed down to the 2009 Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti, MI on Sunday and the first orphan we stumbled upon was this unusual hearse. This one off was built in 1927 as a prototype for a line of funeral cars sized for carrying the remains of children. According to the adjacent sign, Albert H Whittekind spent two years carving the wooden adornments on the flanks. The hearse runs on a Graham chassis, which was the truck division of Dodge Brothers before that brand was absorbed into Chrysler. No funeral homes ever purchased any of these smaller hearses and so this one was never replicated. The children's hearse is now owned by Cole Funeral Home of Chelsea, MI.
Gallery: 1927 Graham child's hearse
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Beastage 10:07AM (6/10/2009)
At first I really didn't understand what I was reading... then a chill went through my spine.
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Avinash machado 10:28AM (6/10/2009)
Is it in use now or is it in storage\display at the Cole Funeral home?
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Duke 2:09PM (6/10/2009)
Look at the old Vermont plates. They wouldn't use this historical car unless they wanted to ruin its value.
Though its a sad basis for a vehicle, the design and craftsmanship look very impressive. It's quite lovely.
Harrison 11:48AM (6/10/2009)
It's kind of sad. I would not want to be around this.
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Luce 1:06PM (6/10/2009)
I didn't know Autoblog had anyone at that show Sunday. It was a rare car finder's dream and well worth checking out! This Hearse is one of those beautifully created but chilling to think about cars.
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