526 N West Street
526 West Street started out as a family home. There were a few years in which the owners of the house took in boarders; however, it was not until sometime between 1899 and 1904 that the house was turned into apartments by Valentine Kiefer. Once Kiefer left 526 West Street the house was used as a family home with a few boarders again until it became the Peoples Burial Company around 1926.
The People's Funeral Company
The People's Funeral company was established in 1919 as People's Burial Company. In 1926, 526 West Street became a branch of the company under Henry E. Dunn, a lawyer who fought in World War I.
About six years later, soon after the business moved to 526 N West Street, Henry died. His wife, Lula (Jackson) Dunn took over as proprietor of the funeral home. According to a 1932 article in the Indianapolis Recorder, Lula was the second African American woman to recieve an embalmer's license from the National Council of Embalming after having trained at the Askin College of Embalming.
Sometime between 1934 and 1935, Lula married Albert P Hall, a local podiatrist. Following their marriage, Lula continued to operate the funeral home. The 1940 census lists Lula's brother, BJ Jackson, as part of the Hall household. In 1939, he was introduced as the manager of the People's Funeral Home in an ad in the Indianapolis Recorder, indicating that he came to Indianapolis to help his sister run the business.
Lula continued to run the Funeral Home into the 1950s. She married again, to Denver Hinton, but Lula and her brother BJ continued to be the faces of the company. A Christmas ad in the Indianapolis Recorder from 1965 demonstrates Lula's prominence in her field as she and her brother were included among other prominent members of the funeral director community.
Lula Hinton died in 1980 and BJ Jackson died in 1988. Interestingly, Lula's occupation was listed as housewife at her death, wheras BJ was still listed as a mortuary manager. This family's long history with the People's Burial Company and the People's Funeral Home shows dedication and commitment to the community.
526 N West Street Today
The end of The People's Funeral Home at 526 West street is documented in the 1985 City Directory, when the address is no longer listed. Today an IUPUI parking lot is located where 526 N West Street once stood.
Written and edited by Hannah Ryker, May 19, 2020
With contributions by Jessica Petty