Historic District - South in Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Bynes-Royall Funeral Home

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 12, 2022

1. Bynes-Royall Funeral Home Marker

Inscription. During the last years of Reconstruction, Maj. William Royall established the Royall Undertaking Company to serve African Americans denied mortuary services by Savannah's White-owned funeral homes. As a formal mortuary education was not available in the South until the early 20th century, Royall's company trained many prominent Black funeral directors in the state through an apprenticeship program. In 1924, the company moved to West Broad Street, now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, the African-American cultural and business district of Savannah. In 1955, Cpt. Frank Bynes, Sr. and Frenchye Mason Bynes bought the business and renamed it the Bynes-Royall Funeral Home. Like many Black funeral homes during the Civil Rights Movement, Bynes-Royall provided a safe space to meet and organize. Bynes-Royall relocated here in 1963 and remains the oldest Black-owned business in Savannah.

Erected 2021 by Georgia Historical Society • Save Our Youth Savannah. (Marker Number 25-64.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 32° 4.133′ N, 81° 5.899′

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W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is in the Historic District - South. It is at the intersection of West Hall Street and Barnard Street, on the right when traveling west on West Hall Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 204 W Hall St, Savannah GA 31401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Coastal Plain and on the Georgia Coast and the Golden Isles.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Forsyth Park (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Georgia Historical Society (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lafayette McLaws (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jepson House Education Center (approx. 0.2 miles away); Francis Bartow (approx. 0.2 miles away); McKelvey-Powell Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Saint Philip A.M.E. Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Savannah's Marine Corps Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Savannah.

Also see . . . About Us. Overview of the funeral home's nearly 150 years in business, making it the oldest continuous Black funeral home in Georgia. (Bynes-Royall Funeral Home) (Submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 12, 2022

2. Bynes-Royall Funeral Home Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 848 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.