By Amanda Rogers
Mansfield Record
Approximately 100 people toured the historic Blessing Funeral Home on Thursday evening, munching and exploring during the business's first Death By Chocolate event.
The evening was intended to introduce the public to the 150-year-old building, which has served as a college and then a funeral home since the 1870s.
While the big white house on the hill has been a fixture in Mansfield for generations, many attendees said they had never been inside and were excited to enter for a happy occasion.
A scavenger hunt had attendees wandering the halls and the attached chapel while reading facts and examining photos about the building's history, residents and owners, courtesy of the Mansfield Historical Society. The chocolate fountain, sandwiches, salad, truffles, coffee and drinks were an added bonus for the event, which was a fund-raiser for the Mansfield Education Foundation.
"It was great," said Cheryce Moss, the local leader for the Lucas Family-owned funeral home. "I want it to be an annual event, to bring people out every spring to get to know this historic building."
Mansfield, Texas, is a booming city, nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, but with a personality all its own. The city’s 76,247 citizens enjoy an award-winning school district, vibrant economy, historic downtown, prize-winning park system and community focus spread across 37 square miles. The Mansfield Record is dedicated to reporting city and school news, community happenings, police and fire news, business, food and restaurants, parks and recreation, library, historical archives and special events. The city’s only online newspaper launched in September 2020 and will offer introductory advertising rates for the first three months at three different rates.