answersLogoWhite

0

No,

the company, which existed under the name "Elgin Metal Casket Company" since 1939 and manufactured up to 70.000 metal caskets a year, - including the caskets of two American presidents - closed down in the 1980s.

The roots of the company can be traced back to the Elgin Silver Plate Company, a casket hardware producer which was founded in Elgin, IL around the year 1892. Its products were so convincing in quality and price that the factory size had to be double in 1899 already; soon the production line was expanded to zinc casket liners. In 1926, Elgin Silver Plate Company was acquired by the Western Casket Hardware Company (founded in 1903) . Around 1928, the company's production line was expanded to metal caskets, which more and more became the main product of the firm. For that reason, the company's name was changed to Elgin Metal Casket Company. After the Second World War, Elgin concentrated on manufacturing metal casket shells which it distributed through a jobber organization known as Elgin Associates; these jobbers completed the casket shells with handles and / or interiors.

As mentioned, Elgin provided the caskets for two American presidents. Already in 1933, Elgin caskets were regarded as being of such a high quality that an Elgin casket was chosen for the funeral of President Coolidge. He was buried in a polished solid bronze Elgin casket. The round corner design had separately hinged caps and was equipped inside with a hermetically sealing full length oval plate glass lid. In 1963, Elgin provided the casket in which President Kennedy was taken from Dallas to Washington, DC: his Elgin "Handley" model was a double lid sealer casket (without inner glass lid) weighing more than 300 lbs empty. The exterior had a "Britannia" (that is: partially brushed) finish with a transparent amber (reddish) tint. The interior consisted of an adjustable inner mattress and a white velvet and satin lining. The casket certainly would have been used for Kennedy's burial, had it not been damaged during the loading / unloading process by the Secret Service people who tore off the ornamental attachments of the swing bar handles. For that reason, the Elgin casket was replaced with a new casket (a Marsellus solid mahogany model). The original Elgin casket eventually was dumped in the Atlantic Ocean in 1966 by the Air Force in order to prevent it from becoming an object of morbid curiosity.

The successor to the "Handley" model is still in production. A few years after President Kennedy's death, the Elgin Company changed the flaring round corner design of the original "Handley" somewhat by giving it a more pronounced urn shape. After the Elgin company had been bought by the renown mattress producer Simmons in 1968, the "Handley" was replaced by the "Winchester" model, which differed from its predecessor mainly by some embossed ornaments. The casket is still manufactured nowadays by VerPlank Enterprises of Tennessee and can be seen in the Online Catalog of that Company. Other original Elgin designs have survived the end of the company as well, for example the thermo-deposited "Citadel" which is manufactured currently by the York-Matthew company under the designation "Marquis". Elgin was a very innovative company which came up with several patents.

Since 1974 it possessed a registered trade mark and pictured logo featuring a helmet as part of a knight's armor.

One really wonders why such a big company with renown quality products hasn't survived. The downfall of the company probably began when it was acquired by companies not related to the funeral industry (mattress producer Simmons in 1968 and oil giant Gulf & Western in 1974). The loss of its experienced team of some 200 craftsmen caused by the move of the complete manufacturing plant from Elgin, IL. to Indiana in 1982, seems to have been the final blow for the famous casket manufacturer, which should not be mixed up with the modern "Star of Texas Casket Company", a manufacturer of fine hardwood caskets and wooden urns located in Elgin, Texas.

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What was the former Elgin metal casket company of Elgin Ill renown for?

The Elgin Metal Casket company of Elgin, IL was renown as one of the largest manufacturers of quality metal coffins and as a company which provided the caskets for two American presidents. Already in 1933, Elgin caskets were regarded as being of such a high quality that an Elgin casket was chosen for the funeral of President Coolidge. He was buried in a polished solid bronze casket of the company: the round corner design had separately hinged caps and was equipped inside with a hermetically sealed full length oval plate glass lid. Then, in 1963, Elgin provided the casket in which President Kennedy was taken from Dallas to Washington, DC: his Elgin "Handley" model was a double lid sealer casket (without inner glass lid) weighing more than 300 lbs empty. The exterior had a "Britannia" (that is: partially brushed or "scratched") finish with a transparent amber (reddish) tint and a clear lacquer over it. The interior consisted of an adjustable inner mattress and a white velvet and satin lining. The casket certainly would have been used for Kennedy's burial, had it not been damaged during the loading / unloading process by the Secret Service people who unintentionally tore off the ornamental attachments of the swing bar handles. For that reason, the Elgin casket was replaced with a new casket (a Marsellus solid mahogany model), in which Kennedy was buried. Eventually ,his original Elgin casket was dumped in the Atlantic ocean by the Air Force in 1966 in order to prevent it from becoming an object of morbid curiosity. The successor to Kennedy's "Handley" model is still in production. A few years after President Kennedy's death, the Elgin Company changed the flaring round corner design of the original "Handley" somewhat by giving the casket a more pronounced urn shape. After the Elgin company had been bought by the renown mattress producer Simmons in 1968, the "Handley" was replaced by the "Winchester" model, which differed from its predecessor mainly by some embossed ornaments. This casket is still manufactured today by VerPlank Enterprises of Iron City, TN and can be seen in the Online Catalog of that Company. Other original Elgin designs have survived the end of the company as well, for example the thermo deposited "Citadel", a 48 oz bronze double lid design, which is manufactured currently by the York-Matthew company under the name "Marquis". Elgin was a very innovative company which came up with several patents. Since 1974 Elgin possessed a registered trade mark and pictured logo featuring a helmet as part of a knight's armor. The roots of the Elgin Metal casket company can be traced back to the Elgin Silver Plate Company, a casket hardware producer which was founded in Elgin, IL around the year 1892. Its products were so convincing in quality and price that already in 1899 the factory size had to be doubled; soon the production line was expanded to zinc casket liners. In 1926, the Elgin Silver Plate Company was acquired by the Western Casket Hardware Company (founded in 1903). Around 1928, the company's production line was expanded to metal caskets, which more and more became the main product of the firm. For that reason, the company's name was changed to Elgin Metal Casket Company. After the Second World War, Elgin concentrated on manufacturing metal casket shells which it distributed through a jobber organization known as Elgin Associates; these jobbers completed the casket shells with handles and / or interiors in accordance with the orders of the local funeral directors. One really wonders why such a big company with renown quality products hasn't survived. The downfall of the company probably began when it was acquired by companies not related to the funeral industry (mattress producer Simmons in 1968 and oil giant Gulf & Western in 1974). The loss of its experienced team of some 200 craftsmen caused by the move of the complete manufacturing plant from Elgin, IL. to Indiana in 1982, seems to have been the final blow for the famous casket manufacturer, which closed down in the 1980s and which should not be mixed up with the modern "Star of Texas Casket Company", a manufacturer of fine hardwood caskets and wooden urns located in Elgin, Texas.


What type of casket was JFK's Dallas casket from Oneal funeral home?

Vernon O'Neal provided a solid bronze double lid (non-glass) sealer casket named "Handley", manufactured by the (former) Elgin Metallic Casket Company of Elgin, Ill. It had an amber "Britannia" finish - Elgin's designation for a partially brushed (i.e. "scratched" looking) casket exterior, the unbrushed parts of which possessed a transparent tint or dye - in this case of amber (reddish) color. The casket had an adjustable mattress and an eggshell velvet interior. The empty weight of the casket was over 300 lbs. O'Neal requested a sales price of $ 3.995 (estimated wholesale price at that time around $ 1.000) from the US-government, but was forced to lower the price later by $ 500. The casket certainly would have been used for Kennedy's burial, had it not been damaged during the loading / unloading process by the Secret Service people who tore off the ornamental attachments of the swing bar handles. For that reason, it was replaced with a new casket (a Marsellus # 710 solid mahogany casket for which Gawler's funeral home in Washington, D.C. charged $2460 ). The original Elgin casket eventually was dumped in the Atlantic ocean in 1966 by the Airforce in order to prevent it from becoming an object of morbid curiosity. The successor to the "Handley" model is still in production. A few years after President Kennedy's death, the Elgin Company changed the flaring round corner design of "Handley" somewhat by giving it a more pronounced urn shape. After Elgin had been bought by the mattress producer Simmons in 1968, the "Handley" was replaced by the "Winchester" model, which differed from its predecessor mainly by some embossings. The casket is still manufactured by VerPlank Enterprises of Tennessee and can be seen in the Online Catalog of that Company. p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; } a solid bronze double lid model named "Handley", manufactured by the former Elgin Metallic Casket Company of Elgin, Ill. It had an amber "Britannia" finish - Elgin's designation for a partially brushed (i.e. "scratched" looking) casket exterior, the unbrushed parts of which possessed a transparent tint or dye - in this case of amber (reddish) color.


When did Elgin National Watch Company end?

The Elgin National Watch Company was founded in August 1864 in Chicago, Illinois.It was a major watch maker for the US until it was closed for business in 1968.


Where did the casket come from for jfk at parkland hospital?

It came from Vernon O'Neal's funeral home. The bronze casket had been manufactured by the (former) Elgin Metal Casket Company of Elgin, Ill. It was replaced in Washington with a solid mahogany casket.


What is Elgin High School Illinois 's motto?

Lugoff-Elgin High School's motto is 'Legacy of Excellence'.


Who is the mayor of Elgin Illinois?

David Kaptain is the current mayor of Elgin, IL.


What casket was President Coolidge buried in?

When former President Calvin Coolidge died in 1933, he was buried in a polished solid bronze casket featuring a round corner design. It had been manufactured by the Elgin Metal Casket Company of Elgin, Ill., which had started building caskets in 1928 and which decades later provided the bronze casket in which President Kennedy was taken from Dallas to Washington. The top of the Coolidge casket had a hinged cap design: it had separately hinged bronze panels and was equipped with a hermetically sealing full length inner oval plate glass lid. Pictures of the casket at the viewing and at the graveside are available on the Internet.


What is an amber Britannia casket?

The term refers very probably to the casket in which the late President Kennedy was taken from Dallas to Washington. His "Handley" casket had been manufactured by the (former) Elgin Metal Casket Company of Elgin, (IL), which had provided the bronze casket of President Coolidge already. The "Handley" was a double lid sealer casket (without an inner glass panel) weighing more than 300 lbs empty. The exterior had what Elgin called a "Britannia finish" (meaning that the metal had been partially "brushed" or "scratched") with a transparent amber (dark reddish) tint. The interior consisted of an adjustable inner mattress and a white velvet and satin lining. The casket certainly would have been used for Kennedy's burial, had it not been damaged during the loading / unloading process by the Secret Service people who tore off the ornamental attachments of the swing bar handles. For that reason, it was replaced with a new casket (made of solid mahogany). The original Elgin casket eventually was dumped in the Atlantic ocean in 1966 by the Airforce in order to prevent it from becoming an object of morbid curiosity. The successor to the "Handley" model is still in production. A few years after President Kennedy's death, Elgin changed the flaring round corner design somewhat by giving it a more pronounced urn shape. After the Elgin company had been sold to the renown mattress producer Simmons in 1968, the "Handley" design was replaced by the "Winchester" model, which differed from its predecessor mainly by some embossings. The casket is still manufactured today by VerPlank Enterprises of Iron City (TN) and can be seen in the Online Catalog of the company.


What is the web address of the Elgin Public Museum in Elgin Illinois?

The web address of the Elgin Public Museum is: http://www.elginpublicmuseum.org


What year was Elgin Illinois founded?

In 1835.


What congressional district is Elgin Illinois in?

14th


Illinois city 5 letters?

Elgin