INDIANAPOLIS — In the latest release from the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) Press, Building Community: The Flanner and Buchanan Families of Indianapolis, author Julie Young shows how the name Buchanan is not only synonymous with Indianapolis but is recognized and respected among funeral directors throughout the United States. Celebrating its 140th anniversary, Flanner Buchanan’s longevity as a family-owned business and as influential families is highlighted throughout the book.
Since the founding of Indianapolis in the early 1820s, the Buchanan family has been part of its history, creating a uniquely diversified funeral business unlike any other, growing and changing with each generation and serving the living while also honoring the deceased.
The Buchanans (and related families, including the Flanners) have been business owners, state legislators, housewives, hospital board members, journalists, tavern owners, lawyers, prosecutors, writers, photographers, hospital chaplain assistants, service agency founders, Sunday School teachers, and even a state appellate court judge.
The Buchanans were pioneers in professionalizing the funeral industry and in the field of cremation, and were one of the first funeral firms to host wedding ceremonies on their properties. In fact, the Community Life Center on the east side of Indianapolis is known throughout the country as a multipurpose site. It sits on land that was the Buchanan family farm.
Author Julie Young is the multi-award nominated author of several books, including A Belief in Providence: A Life of Saint Theodora Guerin, Images of America: Historic Irvington, and Eastside Indianapolis: A Brief History.
“Building Community: The Flanner and Buchanan Families of Indianapolis” is available through IHS’s Basile History Market and other places books are sold. For more information about the book or the IHS Press, call 317-232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org.
