In the spring of 1825 in Lexington -- then the largest town west of the Allegheny Mountains -- 21-year-old Joseph Milward was completing plans to open a cabinet and furniture business. Known as "The Athens of the West" at the time, Lexington had a population of 5,517. The city was a mixture of cosmopolitan progress and frontier spirit, a natural result of being located on the edge of the continuing westward push. The result was a growing need for a wide variety of products that craftsmen could offer. Not long after Joseph Milward opened his cabinet and furniture business, he focused on the production of caskets for the bereaved families of the community.

From those early beginnings, Milward Funeral Directors has become Lexington's oldest and the 37th oldest continuously operating business in the United States. More important, we believe, is that with each succeeding generation we have strived to better serve the community while providing solace and support for countless Central Kentucky families. Milward has not only become a landmark institution in Lexington, we have strived to make community service and civic duty an integral part of our life. It's been true for six generations now. Private support for people in their time of need. Public service for our community. That's the Milward tradition -- since 1825.