The William Lafferty Memorial Funeral and Carriage Collection traces the development of the funeral business since the mid-1800s through caskets, funeral clothing, and hearses collected and preserved by James William Lafferty (1912-1987). James William Lafferty was the fourth generation of Laffertys to serve West Union and Adams County. Reflecting the early history of the profession, William Voris (W.V.) Lafferty (1830-1922) founded the family business in 1848 to meet demand for caskets that he was often asked to build as a furniture and cabinetmaker. As embalming gained favor during the Civil War, W.V. taught himself the practice. Later, as professional instruction became desirable and then required for undertakers, W.V.'s son Theodore (1862-1914) and Theodore's son Latour (1889-1933) completed courses in the field. The collection includes artifacts belonging to W.V. Lafferty and items used by Theodore and Latour. Opened in 1994 in memory of James William Lafferty, it reflects a family whose sixth generation had entered the funeral business by the turn of the 21st century.