Buchanan Innovations

• In the 1881, Frank Flanner became the first licensed embalmer in Indiana
• In 1887 Charles Buchanan joined Frank Flanner to form Flanner & Buchanan.
• In 1904 Flanner & Buchanan built the first crematory in Indiana.
• In 1919 Charles Buchanan founded Floral Park Cemetery. The organization now owns seven cemeteries in the Indianapolis area.
• In the 1950s Floral Park Cemetery built the first garden crypt community mausoleum in Indianapolis.
• Buchanan Group was formed in 1987 to sell pre-need funerals. By the mid 1990s, Buchanan Group had become a full-service management company.
• Built the first funeral / cemetery combination in Indianapolis. Washington Park East Cemetery opens a mortuary on the grounds of the Cemetery in 1989.
• The opening of the 114-acre Hamilton Memorial Park Cemetery & Funeral Center was the first cemetery / funeral combination in Hamilton County, Indiana. Opened in 1997, this cemetery features indoor crypts and a large garden waterfall.
• We were among the first in the country to install family history computer kiosks. Family LegaciesTM, a software program developed by Buchanan Group, began serving cemeteries in Indiana, Michigan, Florida and Arizona. This program makes a cemetery the permanent keeper of family history. www.familylegacies.com.
• In 1999 Buchanan Group became the manager of the cemeteries belonging to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
• In June 2001 the Community Life Center opened at Washington Park East Cemetery. This 20,000 sq. ft. center serves as a venue for community events and weddings. In 2012, the center will perform 130 weddings.
• For five years, starting in 1999, Buchanan Group managed Trinity Memorial Gardens in Tampa, Florida, which is one of the state’s most beautiful and well-maintained combinations.
• In 2005 Flanner and Buchanan launched the Cremation Center of Indiana, a crematory offering state-of-the-art services and products in downtown Indianapolis.
• In 2008 Washington Park Cemetery built and dedicated a memorial to the Indiana National Guard. This is the first major memorial of its kind to a state’s National Guard. www.HoosierPatriotMemorial.com.
• In 2008 Buchanan Group launched Private LabelTM, a cost-alternative casket distributorship. That same year Buchanan Group renovated a 20,000 sq. ft. factory in downtown Indianapolis to consolidate its staff, Private Label and Millennium Memorials businesses.
• In 2009 Washington Park North Cemetery opened Kessler Woods, Indianapolis’s first all-natural burial cemetery. Kessler Woods is a member of the Green Burial Council.
• In 2011, Buchanan Group purchased Fewell Monument Company. Fewell is known for its high-quality laser engravings and custom memorials. Fewell has the largest library of custom designs in the country.
• In November 2013 Legacy Cremation & Funeral Services opened their 2nd location in Anderson, IN.
• In March 2014 Flanner and Buchanan opened their Geist location.