In the 1800's, funeral services and practices were far different from those known and accepted today. Marsena's era was characterized by embalming at bedside, funeral services in the parlour of the family home and the horse drawn hearse.
The nature of the parlour funeral precluded the need for a funeral home as we know it today. The buildings erected by Austin and also occupied by Marsena, were not designed nor did they need, to accommodate funeral services. The premises on Main St. consisted only of the Morse family homestead, the casket workshop, furniture showroom and the business office.
Although funeral customs were slow to change, it gradually became apparent that the family home was not always appropriate for the funeral service. in anticipation of a growing need for chapel facilities, Marsena opened the first Morse & Son Chapel on the main floor of the building in the original furniture showroom. A warning light installed in the workshop upstairs flashed 'silence' so laborers would refrain from casket construction while the funeral services took place downstairs. This light fixture is still in place today for us to see as an unusual reminder of the changing times. As the community grew and the number of people using the Morse & Son Chapel increased, Marsena responded to the trend by opening additional rooms on the second floor for family visitation.