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.
Bynes-Royall Funeral Home. . 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.
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.)
W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is in the Historic District - South. Marker 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.
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 309 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
