Jarnigan & Son Mortuary

Jarnigan & Son Mortuary is the oldest continually operated Black business in the city of Knoxville. It was established by Clem Jarnigan in 1886 at the corner of Commerce Avenue and State Street. In 1888 he moved the business from the downtown area to 15 Nelson Street and remained in that building until 1909. In 1909 the company moved to a larger facility at 401 Nelson Street. The structure was remodeled several times and by the 1930’s had become a modern facility.

Jarnigan & Son Mortuary remained in this facility until 1969 when Mr. Wilber and Mrs. Annabelle Tate built a new and modern facility at 2823 McCalla Avenue, now Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, where it is one of Knoxville’s leading Black Businesses today

This channel is an archival of memorial videos and live streams of services of our clients loved ones.