About

Davenport and Harris Funeral Home Incorporated was established in September 12 1899 and is the oldest African American family owned and operated business in the State of Alabama.Charles Morgan Boss Harris founder was born in Mobile Alabama on August 3 1871. Charles along with his sister Hattie C. Davenport moved to Montgomery Alabama in 1889. After working at several odd jobs and attending Alabama State Normal School for Colored he began working for the late Henry A. Loveless Undertaking Company.In 1893 Charles M. Boss Harris married Mattie Bell Saffold of Selma Alabama. Later in that same year Charles who had by now earned the nickname Boss moved with his new bride and his sister Hattie to Birmingham. Upon arrival he began operation of a general store located at 22nd Street and 3rd Avenue North.Recognizing the need for affordable and dignified burial services Charles expanded his business to include a funeral parlor initially called Charles M. Harris Undertaking Company. At this early stage of the operation bread was sold in one section of the store while caskets were sold in another.It quickly became obvious that Birmingham's black community had more of a need for quality funeral services than for another general store. So it was on September 12 1899 that Charles and his sister Hattie C. Davenport founded Davenport and Harris Funeral Home Inc The business was operated without interruption until 1924 when Hattie C. Davenport and her children Virgil Davenport and Otis Davenport Council sold their stock to her brother Charles.In 1923 Charles founded the Protective Burial Association to provide affordable burial insurance within the community. This second business endeavor was met with great success and was subsequently renamed Protective Industrial Insurance Company of Alabama also known as PiiCO. Over its history PiiCo served the community with a full range of life insurance products.