A new resting place for Miranda

On a recent excavation project beneath a home in San Francisco, a small child's metal

casket was unearthed containing what appeared to be a girl, approx. age of three.

She was blond, well preserved and holding a red rose.  The casket was presumed to be

one that was missed when a large cemetery there was moved in 1933.  Not knowing who

she was, city officials named her Miranda, purchased a new grave site and head stone

for her, and she was again laid to rest.  She had been deceased probably for at least

140-150 years, as that is when her burial case was made.  It was known as a Fisk

burial case.  It was made of cast iron usually, had a plate glass window or windows

in the top, and was sealed tight. Because of it’s air tight capacity, decomposition over

the years was virtually arrested.  And if she was embalmed, and a good chance she was,

that would add also to the pristine condition of her remains.  A picture of her casket is below.

Interesting notes about the Fisk container:

 The Fisk metallic burial case was designed and patented by Almond D. Fisk under US Patent No. 5920 on November 14, 1848. In 1849, the cast iron coffin was publicly unveiled at the New York State Agricultural Society Fair in Syracuse, N.Y. and the American Institute Exhibition in New York City.

The cast iron coffins or burial cases were popular in the mid–1800s among wealthier families. While pine coffins in the 1850s would have cost around $2, a Fisk coffin could command a price upwards of $100. Nonetheless, the metallic coffins were highly desirable by more affluent individuals and families for their potential to deter grave robbers.

The case was custom-formed to the body many times, were quite ornate and had a glass window plate for viewing the face of the deceased, without the risk of exposure to odor or pathogens. The airtight cases were valued for their potential to preserve the remains of individuals who died far from home, until they could be shipped back for burial by the family. This type of burial in the 19th century indicated that the individual buried was someone of cultural and societal importance.