• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEERS
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE
  • Subscribe!

Sullivan-King Mortuary

SC PICTURE PROJECT 2 Comments

SC Picture Project / Anderson County / Sullivan-King Mortuary

This building no longer serves as a funeral home. Sullivan-King Mortuary is now located at 3205 Highway 81 in Anderson. Please respect the privacy of this building’s current owner. Thank you!

This Beaux Arts-style building was designed by James Knox Taylor and built as the first federal post office in downtown Anderson in 1909. In 1941, when the post office moved to a newer building on the same street, this structure became the site of the McDougald-Bleckley Mortuary. The mortuary had operated from a storefront, also on Main Street, since 1923. The business was founded by J.S. McDougald and run by McDougald and his partners, B.B. Bleckley and D.L. Reid. Later Sam O. Sullivan purchased an interest in the mortuary and become its vice president. In 1930, after McDougald passed, Bill King became the manager. When Bleckley died in 1935, King became a stockholder along with Reid and Sullivan. The business’s name changed to Sullivan-King Mortuary in 1949.

Sullivan-King Mortuary

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Both Sullivan and King died in 1969 within three weeks of each other. Jack D. Gilliland, who had been with the company since 1952, then became president. The business was eventually sold to David King, son of Bill King, and Bolt McClain. The partners retained the Sullivan-King name, renovating the former post office in 1997 and opening another location on South Carolina 81 in 2000. In recent years, Sullivan-King Mortuary closed this downtown location and now operates solely from its new location. Sosebee Mortuary then operated from the historic building, but it has since relocated as well.

Sullivan-King Mortuary Anderson

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The Sullivan-King Mortuary is listed in the National Register as part of the Anderson Downtown Historic District:

The Anderson Downtown Historic District is primarily significant as a well-preserved late nineteenth/early twentieth century commercial area. The district retains a typical town plan with a courthouse square in its center, as well as numerous good examples of Victorian, Romanesque Revival, and Beaux Arts commercial architecture. Anderson, incorporated 1833, is also significant for its role as a commercial, governmental, and cultural center for Anderson County. The Anderson Downtown Historic District is comprised of approximately 97 commercial structures, the County Courthouse, the Anderson City Hall, a Victorian fountain, and two historic monuments. The brick constructed structures date primarily from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and are located in the heart of Anderson’s central business district. The courthouse and surrounding square serve as the focal point of the historic district.

Reflections on the Sullivan-King Mortuary


Barbara Bailes Hairfield of Charleston shares the following reflection: “The old federal building built as the Anderson Post Office was purchased by my grandfather, George H. Bailes, Sr. in 1938 when the post office moved to a new location. G.H. Bailes was one of the founding merchants of Anderson and operated a large department store which had the first escalator in South Carolina. Because he decided Anderson deserved an elegant building for a funeral home, my grandfather bought and leased his building to Jess McDougald and Bleckley to open a mortuary business. The McDougald, Bleckley, Sullivan, and King families leased this building at 401 North Main Street in Anderson from the family of G.H. Bailes, Sr. for 71 years until they consolidated their business.”

Plan Your Trip: Sullivan-King Mortuary

Where is Sullivan-King Mortuary located?
Address: 410 North Main Street, Anderson, SC 29621
GPS Coordinates: 34.506183,-82.651034
What else should I see?
Anderson Carnegie Library 0 mile
Anderson Arts Center 0.1 mile
Chiquola Condominiums 0.3 mile
Anderson County Courthouse 0.3 mile
Show me more like this!
  • Anderson Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina National Register
  • See other South Carolina Post Offices
    Sullivan-King Mortuary Map

    Please Donate

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader contribution, big or small, is so valuable. If you have enjoyed this page or found it helpful, please pitch in. Even donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $1,085 of $7,500 raised
    $ 20.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Donation Total: $20.00

    Related posts:

    Anderson County - Old CourthouseAnderson County Courthouse Farmer's Society HallFarmers Society Hall Anderson University's Merritt Administration BuildingAnderson University Kennedy Street School in AndersonKennedy Street School Anderson Arts CenterAnderson Arts Center

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. rkummrow says

      March 2, 2019 at 2:01 AM

      Please remove the Sosebee Mortuary. It is not operating from this location and this building will never be a mortuary again. There are new and exciting things coming for this building.

      Reply
      • SC Picture Project says

        March 2, 2019 at 10:58 PM

        Could you let us know when the Sosebee Mortuary closed and perhaps what it will be used for in the future so we can update this entry? We would greatly appreciate it!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Your Email Here

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s historic landmarks for future generations. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $1,085 of $7,500 raised
    $ 20.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Donation Total: $20.00

    Recent Posts

    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill
    • Faris Store

    Our Sponsor

    Footer

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit. If there is no link, contact us and we will do our best to help.

    SIGN UP

    Subscribe here to receive the “SC Photo of the Week” in your inbox! Each Tuesday, we highlight a different South Carolina landmark. Emails include the landmark’s history, its location and a map, and of course, incredible photos!

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2021 · All Rights Reserved