Our company began as the York Wagon Gear Company, founded in 1892 in York, Pennsylvania. The company built wooden coaches for horse-drawn carriages. As automobiles began to replace horses for everyday transportation, York Wagon Gear Company shifted its manufacturing to carriages designed for the Ford chassis. In 1917, the company changed its name to York Body Corporation.
 
The company prospered into the 1930s, then through diversification strategies, applied its expertise in metal and wood fabrication into manufacturing burial caskets.
 
In 1958, the company sold its automobile equipment division and the company - now called York Hoover - focused exclusively on casket making.
 
Through several mergers and acquisitions over the next 20 years, York became part of Service Corporation International (SCI), the largest funeral home operator in North America.
 
In 1989 SCI sold its casket manufacturing operations to a group of death care industry entrepreneurs, who brought the company back to its roots and named it The York Group, Inc. The independently owned company expanded its operations and, in 1996, completed its initial public offering of common stock.
 
In 2001, The York Group completed a merger with Matthews International Corporation and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Matthews. The merger gives The York Group, Inc. additional resources to broaden product offerings and enhance services for funeral industry professionals nationwide.
 
Over the years, The York Group has built a reputation for innovative merchandising strategies that allow its customers to provide an unprecedented level of service to the families they serve.