Our History
Our History
Johnson's Funeral Home dates to the beginning of the twentieth century, giving it the distinction of being one of Scott County's oldest continuing business'.
For many years the business was known as Johnson and Son; its promotional material denoting the company as "Furniture and Undertaking." The father-son team served as Scott County coroners as well as Lucille H. Johnson.
Johnson and Son’s business location was a four-bay, three-story East Main Street commercial building (pictured on the left) that is now incorporated into Wesco's main office complex as the eastern most part of the lobby. The furniture store occupied most of the first floor. In the back were large mahogany glass-faced cases for displaying caskets. On the second floor were the "layout room" and "embalming room," both rarely used because most embalming and ninety percent of the wakes, as visitations were traditionally called, took place in homes. Practically all funerals were held at home or at the family's church. In the majority of cases, families chose caskets at the furniture store for delivery to the home.
In 1936, the funeral home moved to its second location at 201 South Broadway (pictured right). The practice of home wakes and church funerals continued until after World War II, at which time families began to request with greater frequency that services be held at the funeral home.
In December of 1970 the funeral home was moved to its third and present location, 641 South Broadway (pictured left), in order to provide ample off street parking and larger facilities.
Our firm has been guided by four generations of the Johnson family. Harlan J. Johnson, the founder: his son, R.C. Johnson, Sr. and his wife, Lucille Honaker Johnson; their son R.C. (Chuck) Johnson, Jr. and his wife, Frankie Cagle Johnson; and their daughter, Elizabeth Lucille Johnson-Jones.
In the fall of 2014, Chuck made the decision to sell the business. Ownership was transferred to D. Grant Bolt, who proudly continues its tradition of quality service. Grant began his apprenticeship in 1994 under the guidance of Chuck Johnson and Burl Prewitt, gaining decades of experience before becoming owner. Today, he is honored to carry on the business's legacy while serving the Scott County community with the same dedication, craftsmanship, and commitment to excellence.
At Johnson's we understand the value of tradition and history, not only at Johnson's but Scott County. We also understand the value of change and adaptation to the needs of the community and the families being served. We believe that funeral ceremonies should be arranged and conducted to meet a family's emotional, spiritual, cultural and economic needs.
