The Stone Markers of the Cemetery

Stonecutter in Stone

Stonecutting, or stonemasonry, has existed for thousands of years. From cathedrals and cities to monuments and gravestones, carvers have worked to shape something of beauty from the stone around them.

Stonehenge

Taj Mahal

Some of the most famous stonemasonry includes the Egyptian Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Easter Island statues, and Stonehenge.

In the US, Vermont is known for its granite quarries and the work of its carvers can be seen in cemeteries throughout the state.

Rock of Ages Quarry

Such examples exist in Barre, Vermont, known as the “Granite Capital of the World,” and home to Rock of Ages Quarry, the largest deep hole granite quarry in the world.

Hope Cemetery Granite Stone

Granite Bi-Plane

Hope Cemetery in Barre is filled with over 10,000 tombstones and memorials, most carved from local Barre Grey granite. 

19th Century Stone Carvers

Stone Masons

By the close of the 19^th Century, skilled sculptures from around the world were coming to the US to become a part of the growing stonemasonry industry.

 

Although gravestones can be crafted from just about any material, there are three types of natural rock that can be carved and used for markers - igneous rock, metamorphic rock, and sedimentary rock.

Granite

Granite is an igneous intrusive rock consisting of mica, quartz and feldspar, usually ranging from pink to grey in color. It is a hard stone and one of the most difficult to carve requiring skill to sculpt by hand.

Alexander MacDonald

Kensal Green Cemetery

Alexander MacDonald of Aberdeen, Scotland carved the first polished granite tombstone using his invention of steam-powered cutting and dressing tools.  The stone was erected at Kensal Green Cemetery near London, England in 1833.

Queen Victoria & Prince Albert

Royal Mausoleum

During the next 50 years, MacDonald perfected his carving techniques on granite. The most prestigious granite monument was the Royal Mausoleum in England, located on the grounds of Frogmore, where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are buried. MacDonald’s techniques were later discarded when better machinery became available in the 1880s.

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic rocks make up a large part of the earth’s surface and include marble, slate and quartzite. Gravestones are usually fashioned from marble and slate.




Marble is a recrystallized form of limestone and 

Carrera Quary

Block of Marble

is easy to carve. Marble can range in color from blue/black to white depending on what part of the world it comes from. Italy is known for its Carrera marble- a white or bluish gray color. Sweden produces a green marble, while Tuscan marble can range from red to yellow with violet in it. Pure white marble can be found in Greece and near Marble, Colorado in the US.

Marble Soldier

Older Marble

Marble monuments and gravestones became popular during the early part of the 19th Century. Unfortunately, acid rain can cause damage to the stones over time, making the inscriptions difficult to read.

Slate

Slate is the finest grained metamorphic rock. Although very strong, it has a tendency to split. Slate is usually gray in color, but can also be purple, green or a combination of the two.

Slate Gravestone

Slate was commonly used for monuments and gravestones, and when carved carefully a slate marker can have very sharp details.

Slate Quarry

Slate quarries could be found in the US in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont and New York, sometimes referred to as Slate Valley.

St Peter's Cathedral

Sedimentary Quarry

Sedimentary stone can be limestone or sandstone. Most of the world’s most famous buildings have been built with these rocks including St Peter’s Cathedral, and the Roman Arena in Italy, the cliff dwellings in Colorado, and practically the entire town of Hot Springs, South Dakota.

Indiana

Limestone comes from all over the world, but Lawrence County Indiana is known as having the highest quality quarried limestone in the US.

National Cathedral

Indiana limestone was also used for bridges, statues, memorials and buildings, most notably the Empire State Building, the National Cathedral, Biltmore Estates and the United States Holocaust Museum.

Older Limestone Marker

Older Limestone Grave Marker

During the 19^th and 20^th centuries, limestone monuments, mausoleums and gravestones were very popular, but after the discovery of the effect of acid rain on the stone, limestone is not used nearly as much.

Limestone Marker for a Carver

WW I Soldier in Limestone

For some excellent examples of limestone grave markers a visit to Green Hill Cemetery in Bedford Indiana is in order. Hundreds of carvings, statues, sculptures and engravings exist in minute detail, thanks to limestone’s ability to weather well

Federal Reserve Bank in Sandstone

Sandstone Quarry

Sandstone can also be found worldwide, usually around bodies of water or desert areas with sand. Composed of sand-sized minerals and rock grains, it has been used to build palaces and buildings; Ohio sandstone was used in the construction of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Sandstone Grave Marker

Sandstone is resistive to the elements but easy to carve making it a favorite of carvers for gravestones during the 17^th to 19^th Centuries.

Lettered Fieldstone

Fieldstone with Initials and Date

Fieldstone is just that, stone found in a nearby field or woods that is used to mark a grave. These were some of our earliest grave markers. In later times, those who could not afford to purchase a gravestone used fieldstone. Many times the deceased’s name and date of death was carved into the rock, but due to the elements and time, most inscriptions are difficult to red, if they remain at all.

Stone markers are just another reason wandering through a cemetery can be such an adventure, and a delight. Especially when you hope to "leave no stone unturned."

~ Joy

Cemeteries Worth the Visit – Green Hill Cemetery, Bedford, Indiana

 

Green Hill Cemetery is a tombstone tourist’s delight!  Founded in 1889, Green Hill is located in Bedford, (Lawrence County) Indiana.  Consisting of over 20 acres of rolling hills near the center of town, Green Hill maintains a quiet, reflective atmosphere with sculptures and carvings that beckon you to walk the grounds.

Largest stone ever shipped from here

Oolith Limestone

The town of Bedford is known as the “Limestone Capital of the World.”  This is the only area of the country where Oolith limestone has been found in such great abundance.  Oolith was sought out because of its beauty and endurance.  Once the oolith rock was dug, exposure to the elements hardened and strengthened it, making it more durable and weather resistant. Perfect for building cities throughout the new country.

Ready to ride the rails

Lawrence County, Indiana

The ‘Father of the Limestone Industry,’ Dr. Winthrop Foote, arrived in Lawrence County in 1818 from Connecticut.  Foote realized the potential use for the limestone and purchased acres and acres of stone land. He predicted that limestone would be sent to the East Coast for use in building cities well before there was a railroad in place to haul the stones and carvings to their destinations. 

Working the Quarry

Indiana Stone Carver (IHS)

Foote opened the first quarry in the state, Blue Hole, in 1830. He brought in a master stonecutter, Mr. Toburn, from Louisville, Kentucky in 1832.  Soon stone workers and master carvers from all over the world were arriving in Bedford to work in the Indiana quarries.

Empire State Building

National Cathedral

The stone carvers came from Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and Italy, each bringing his understanding of stone and his carving skills.  These men helped to build America through the quarrying and carving of oolith limestone. From the 1870’s until after WWII, Indiana limestone was used to build over 30 notable architectural landmarks in the U.S., including, the Empire State Building, the Pentagon, and the National Cathedral.

The work of numerous stone carvers can be seen at Green Hill Cemetery.  Hundreds of carvings, statues, sculptures and engravings exist in minute detail, thanks to the limestone’s ability to weather well.

Stone Cutters Monument

Hand with Mallet

Many of the stone carvers from the past are buried here, near the Stone Cutters Monument, erected by the Bedford Stone Cutters Association in 1894.  The monument shows a late 19^th century stonecutter, holding a mallet in his hand.  Clasped hands are shown on the front of the monument, beneath it’s gabled roof.   The other three sides bear the carved images of a hand with a mallet, a sexton and square and a grouping of stonecutting tools.  This monument, along with those listed below, is included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture.

Other monuments included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Inventories are,

The Baker Monument –

Baker monument

Top of Workbench with Tools

This gravestone is an exact replica of how the wooden workbench, belonging to stone carver Louis Baker looked as he left it for the last time on August 29, 1917.  Baker was killed when he was struck by lightening that night at the age of 23.  In homage to him, stone carver Marion Taylor and fellow stonecutters recreated the workbench in limestone, detailing Baker’s discarded carving tools, apron, bent nails, and stone slabs.  Baker was working on a building cornice at the time.

Corbin Family Marker

The Corbin Monument –

This limestone grave marker shows Christ kneeling in prayer.  The sculpture was carved by three stonecutter brothers, Virgil, Elmer and Jesse Corbin for their family plot in the 1940’s.

The Wallner Monument –

List of Battles

Wallner Monument

This WWI soldier is the life-like carving of Michael F. Wallner (1893 – 1940.)  Wallner was a private in Company A-16^th Infantry’s First Division.  The battles he fought in are listed on the base of the stone, along with the dates.  Wallner was wounded by shellfire in a campaign on July 20^th, 1918.  He was sent home and hospitalized for his wounds.  He never recovered and died in the hospital 22 years later.

The Barton Sculpture –

Barton detail

Barton Statue

Local resident Tom Barton stands ready to begin yet another game of golf.  The detailing of his 1930’s clothing, including bow tie and cuffed pants, make the statue appear ready to tee off. Legend has it that Barton died while playing golf in 1937.

A Couples Stone

Other amazing examples of limestone statues, carvings, and monuments are spread throughout the cemetery.  As an avid ‘tree stone as grave marker’ person, I was amazed at the sheer number of those stones found here.  The Bedford Walking Tour brochure lists 26 tree stones in Green Hill, but there are even more!

 

Tree stones were popular from the 1880’s through the 1930’s. They could be ordered from catalogues and were also offered as a benefit to belonging to the Modern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World, both fraternal benefit organizations.

You can find mass-produced trees in cemeteries throughout the country.  But the true jewels are the hand-carved tree stones, depicting an individual's hobbies and interests carved into the tree stone.  The tree stones in Green Hill are rich with these details.

Footes Tomb Sign

Foote Family Stone

Footes Tomb

And a final word on Winthrop Foote - While his family stone is located in Green Hill, he and a brother are buried just east of town near what was once the Blue Hole Quarry. (Blue Hole is where stone for the Indiana State House, Chicago’s City Hall, and the Vanderbilt Mansion in New York came from.)  Mr. Toburn, the area’s first stonecutter, cut and designed the Foote vault in 1840.  Foote’s brother Ziba was buried here soon after.  Foote died in 1856 and was interred here, along with, according to locals, his horse of whom he was very fond.  Legend also has it that Foote also had his money buried with him in the tomb.  You can see where attempts have been made to cut into the limestone, but Foote continues to rest in peace.

Green Hill Cemetery is located at 1202 18^th Street in Bedford, Indiana.  The cemetery manager is Peggy Tirey, and the phone number is (812) 275 – 5110.  The cemetery does not have a web page.  Two walking tour brochures are available at the cemetery office located at the main gate.

Green Hill Cemetery

Green Hill Cemetery is definitely worth the visit!  Plan an afternoon and take a step back in time as you explore this gorgeous cemetery. The amazing skill and intricate details found on the tombstones indicate the deep pride and respect the stonecutters and carvers had for their craft. And the durable limestone they used allows us enjoy their pain-staking work, over one hundred years later.

~ Joy