History of Cremation

Western History of Cremation

Scholars today quite generally agree that cremation probably began in any real sense during the early Stone Age – around 3000 B.C. – and most likely in Europe and the Near East.

​During the late Stone Age cremation began to spread across northern Europe, as evidenced by particularly informative finds of decorative pottery urns in western Russia among the Slavic peoples.

​With the advent of the Bronze Age – 2500 to 1000 B.C. – cremation moved into the British Isles and into what is now Spain and Portugal. Cemeteries for cremation developed in Hungary and northern Italy, spreading to northern Europe and even Ireland.

​In the Mycenaean Age – circa 1000 B.C. – cremation became an integral part of the elaborate Grecian burial custom. In fact, it became the dominant mode of disposition by the time of Homer in 800 B.C. and was actually encouraged for reasons of health and expedient burial of slain warriors in this battle-ravaged country.

​Following this Grecian trend, the early Romans probably embraced cremation some time around 600 B.C. and it apparently became so prevalent that an official decree had to be issued in the mid 5th Century against the cremation of bodies within the city.
By the time of the Roman Empire – 27 B.C. to 395 A.D. – it was widely practiced, and cremated remains were generally stored in elaborate urns, often within columbarium-like buildings.

​Although the practice was prevalent among the Romans, cremation was rare with the early Christians who considered it pagan and in the Jewish culture where traditional sepulcher entombment was preferred.

​However, by 400 A.D., as a result of Constantine's Christianization of the Empire, earth burial had completely replaced cremation except for rare instances of plague or war, and for the next 1,500 years remained the accepted mode of disposition throughout Europe.

150 Years of Cremation History

Celebrate 150 years of cremation with a concise, downloadable research bundle created to support accurate, credible storytelling. This curated collection provides historical context, key data, and timelines for sesquicentennial coverage, education, and content creation. Ideal for reporters, educators, and influencers, the bundle helps ensure your work is grounded in trusted research. Download and reference this research to inform your coverage and strengthen your voice.

History of Modern Cremation in North America

This history was updated in 2026 on the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in America — the sesquicentennial. For more recent statistical information, please visit our statistics page.)

Purification 1873-1926

The modern Cremation movement in America sprang from a sanitary necessity, but as the embalming process evolved and with the advent of medicine, the need for cremation as a means of purification after death dwindled.

​Modern cremation, as we know it, actually began just over 150 years ago, after years of experimentation into the development of a dependable cremation chamber. When Professor Ludovico Brunetti of Italy finally perfected his model and displayed it at the 1873 Vienna Exposition, the cremation movement started almost simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic.

​In the British Isles, the movement was fostered by Queen Victoria's surgeon, Sir Henry Thompson. Concerned with hazardous health conditions, Sir Henry and his colleagues founded the Cremation Society of England in 1874. The first crematories in Europe were built in 1878 in Woking, England and Gotha, Germany.

Although there had been two recorded instances of cremation in North America before 1800, modern cremation began when Dr. Francis Julius LeMoyne built the first crematory in Washington, Pennsylvania. The first cremation, that of Baron dePalm, was performed December 6, 1876, with journalists and spectators from across the nation in attendance

​In 1884 the second crematory opened in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and, as was true of many of the early crematories, it was owned and operated by a cremation society. Other forces behind early crematory openings were Protestant clergy who desired to reform burial practices and the medical profession concerned with health conditions around early cemeteries. ​​Crematories soon sprang up in Buffalo, New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit and Los Angeles. By 1900, there were already 20 crematories in operation.

In 1902, Mount Royal Cemetery conducted the first modern cremation in Canada.

In 1913, Dr. Hugo Erichsen calls a meeting of cremationists. This group, initially known as the Cremation Association of America, later becomes the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). There were 52 crematories in North America and over 10,000 cremations took place in that year.

Memorialization 1927-1977

The memorial idea revealed the heart of the true cremationist in every way. It took cremation from the hands of reform societies and placed it in the gentle care of business men who brought the idea to life.

In 1941, members of the Cremation Association publish The Manual of Standard Crematory and Columbarium Practices, setting standards and policies for the increasingly popular process of cremation and inurnment.

Two major events occurred in 1963 that would change the trajectory of cremation practice for decades to come. In May, the Catholic Church lifted the ban on cremation. This reversed their initial centuries-long prohibition making cremation a possibility for more than 43 million Catholics in the United States — though the Church statement included several caveats. These requirements included that a mass be held over the body prior to the cremation and that the cremated remains be placed in consecrated cemetery grounds. Additionally, cremation could not be chosen to deny Christian doctrine and practice. 

Also in 1963, The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford was published, lambasting all aspects of the allied funeral and memorial professions. The book opens the industry to consumer oversight, leading to a push for the US Senate to hold hearings about regulating the growing funeral industry.

After nearly 100 years, the cremation rate reached 5% in the United States in 1973.

​In 1975, the name was changed to the Cremation Association of North America to be more indicative of the membership composition of the United States and Canada. At that time, there were over 425 crematories and nearly 140,000 cremations (approximately 120,000 in the US and almost 20,000 in Canada).

Simplification 1978-2009

Memorial societies advocating simple direct cremation began doing business where cremation had already established its popularity. These were easy avenues for those preferring minimal services. By the late 1970s the memorial idea began to lose its hold on cremation.

In 1981, the cremation rate reached 10% in the United States, growing an additional 5% in just eight years.

The Vatican codifies permission for cremation (first allowed in 1963) into its new Code of Canon Law (Canon 1176) in November 1983, incorporating new liturgy and rituals for cremation services. In general practice, Catholics could be cremated, but funeral rites involved the body first. Cremated remains must be kept in a sacred place, not scattered or made into jewelry, to uphold reverence for the body’s future resurrection.

Also in 1983, CANA launched technical seminars for crematory operators and managers that would later become CANA’s Crematory Operations Certification Program™ (the CANA COCP™).

Following Senate hearings begun in the 1960s, and in response to the growing industry, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced the first federal oversight of the funeral industry in 1984: the Funeral Rule. This rule officially defined the term direct cremation. In response, CANA published its first Model Cremation Law to help guide state lawmakers develop their comprehensive cremation legislation and regulation.

In 1994, the cremation rate in the US reaches 20%, doubling from just 13 years prior.

In 1999, there were 1,468 crematories and 595,617 cremations, a percentage of 25.39% of all deaths in the United States. 

Personalization 2010-present

Consumers seek memorable and personal ways to honor their loved ones. With the advent of the Celebrant movement, families are interested in personalizing how they come together to remember, memorialize, and celebrate their dead.

In 2009, alkaline hydrolysis (AH) is first legalized in the US as a form of cremation in the states of Florida and Illinois.

In 2013, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) celebrates its centennial anniversary. CANA officially changes the technical definition of cremation to incorporate new processes, such as alkaline hydrolysis. The new definition of cremation is “the mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments.”

By 2016, the US cremation rate surpasses 50%. The Vatican provides further instruction on the disposition of cremated remains, emphasizing the sacredness of the body above any ideas of pantheism, naturalism, and nihilism. Now, nearly one-third of American Catholic families choose cremation.

In 2017, there are over 3,000 crematories and over 1,500,000 cremations, taking the cremation rate to 54.6% of dispositions in the United States.

Natural organic reduction (NOR) is legalized in the state of Washington in 2019, prompting additional states to legalize it, often as a form of cremation.

2026 is the sesquicentennial of modern cremation in the United States: the 150th anniversary since the first modern crematory was built and the first cremation was performed in 1876.