The M.S. Blish residence at 419 N. Chestnut St. was built circa 1900, but the history of the Burkholder Chapel business dates back to 1869 when the Hustedt family established a funeral service in downtown Seymour.
The Blish home has many historical features. Besides being the first electrified home in Seymour, the third floor was used as a school classroom where Mrs. M.S. Blish taught kindergarten. The home has many interesting features, including carved mantels, a waterfall staircase, stained glass windows, and coffered ceilings.
The business later changed hands and was known as the Tower Funeral Home before Victor Burkholder changed the business' name in 1957. It was in 1963 that Burkholder moved the business into the former Blish home. The business was also owned by the Myers family, who sold the business to Service Corporation International (SCI) in 1998.
In the mid 2000's SCI sold the funeral home to Rick and Linda Ferguson, returning the company once again to private ownership. During the Fergusons tenure the facility underwent additional renovations that assured the beautiful building and grounds would continue to display the rich history that it had enjoyed. In fact, the facility was featured in episode 1911 of the HGTV's Network show, “If Walls Could Talk” in the spring of 2008.
In November of 2017 the Ferguson's sold the funeral home to what is now Thorne Family Funeral Homes. Thorne Family Funeral Homes is just that.. a family owned and operated business of Phil & Amy (Hanson) Thorne. Born in Bedford, until marrying Phil in 1986, Amy was raised in the Greene County community of Owensburg, IN. Her now deceased grandparents resided in Seymour so owning a business in this community fits her well. Phil is a life-long resident of Bedford and served as a local Pastor for over 30 years. The two of them are committed to serving southern Indiana with integrity and compassion for years to come. In addition to Burkholder Funeral Chapel, the Thorne's also own and operate Ferguson-Lee Chapel in Bedford.
