Episode 149 - Eternal Innovations: The Story of Fisk Cast Iron Coffins

The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery

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Join Jennie and Dianne as they delve into the intriguing world of Fisk metallic burial cases, also known as Fisk coffins. Unearth the remarkable story of Almond Dunbar Fisk, the visionary behind the cast iron coffin, whose innovation forever changed the way we lay our loved ones to rest. From first lady Dolley Madison who made the cast iron coffin fashionable among the leaders in Washington D.C. to the mysterious "Lady in Red" discovered within the sturdy embrace of another metallic burial case, this episode uncovers the secrets of one of history's most unique burial methods. They also share the Ordinary Extraordinary narrative of an African American woman whose remains, preserved for over 150 years, were found in one of these remarkable coffins reminding the world of the many freed African American communities that made up the fabric of New York City long before the American Civil War.
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Resources used to research this episode include:
, Family Search. "Dr. Almond Dunbar Fisk." https://ancestors.familysearch.org. ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LCJT-LJG/dr-almond-dunbar-fisk-1818-1850. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Warnasch, Scott. "Almond Dunbar Fisk." https://ironcoffinmummy.com. ironcoffinmummy.com/inventors/almond-dunbar-fisk/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
, Genealogy Trails. "Fisk Metallic Burial Case South Carolina Genealogy Trails ." http://genealogytrails.com. genealogytrails.com/scar/fisk_coffins.htm. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Blart, Art. "Photgraphs: Exhumed Coffins." https://artblart.com. 2 May 2019. artblart.com/2019/05/02/photographs-exhumed-coffin/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Bot, Citation . "Fisk metallic burial case ." https://en.m.wikipedia.org. 4 Nov. 2022. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisk_metallic_burial_case. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Biesinger, Meredith . "The Mystery of Mississippi’s Lady in Red ." https://www.ourmshome.com. 11 Jan. 2023. www.ourmshome.com/the-mystery-of-mississippis-lady-in-red/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Broom, Brian. "She has no one to pray over her:' Lady in Red remains a Mississippi mystery. Who is she? ." https://www.clarionledger.com. 14 Feb. 2019. www.clarionledger.com/story/magnolia/2019/02/14/lady-red-who-woman-unearthed-mississippi-1969-unsolved-mystery/2766496002/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
McBride Jacobson, Molly. "Grave of the Lady in Red ." https://www.atlasobscura.com. 17 Oct. 2016. www.atlasobscura.com/places/grave-of-the-lady-in-red#:~:text=No%20one%20is%20sure%20about,traveling%20the%20nearby%20Yazoo%20River. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
, The White House Historical Association . "Dolley Madison ." https://www.whitehousehistory.org. www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/dolley-madison. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Schwartz Foster, Feather. "The Funeral of Dolley Madison: End of an Era." https://featherschwartzfoster.blog. 28 Dec. 2018. featherschwartzfoster.blog/2018/12/28/the-funeral-of-dolley-madison-end-of-an-era/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
Public Media, WOUB. "Found in Queens, NY, “The Woman in the Iron Coffin” on SECRETS OF THE DEAD ." https://woub.org. 2 Feb. 2023. woub.org/2023/02/02/the-woman-in-the-iron-coffin-secrets-of-the-dead-wednesday-october-3-at-10/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2023.
PBS, Rocky Mountain . "The Woman in the Iron Coffin." https://www.pbs.org. 3 Oct. 2018. www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/woman-in-the-iron-coffin-about-the-film/3923/. Access

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