Where does it come from?

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Jason Campbell
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1 Materials List of common materials monuments were and are made out of. Examples of monuments made by Higgins, Jung, & Kleinau Co. Blank map of the United States Teacher only- Answer key of what states monument materials originated Procedure Have students read over handout about early grave makers and monuments. Divide them into groups and give each group a monument drawing made by Higgins, Jung, & Kleinau Co. Have them write down what kind of stone was used to create each monument. Once they have identified the stone used, have them search the internet to try and find out where the stone originated. Once they have identified the location the stone came from, have them mark the state on the blank map where the stone came from Ask the students how they think the stones got to Bloomington Teacher Only- Origin of Monument Materials (all monument materials students will find are granite and found within the United States for the monuments you will be looking at) Barre Granite Vermont Columbia Granite Washington Hardwick Granite Vermont Montello Granite Wisconsin Milford Granite New Hampshire Syenite Red (not Granite) Wisconsin Balfour Pink Granite North Carolina Quincy Granite Massachusetts Balfour North Carolina St. Cloud Granite Minnesota Bane Granite Vermont Winnsboro Granite South Carolina Pike River Granite Wisconsin New Westerly Granite Rhode Island North Star Granite Minnesota St. Louis Marble Blue Marble Blue Vermont Marble

2 Common Monument Making Materials The first grave markers used were plain fieldstones or wood. As the stones were difficult to carve, they were used primarily to simply mark the gravesite. Wood was easily carved but deteriorated rapidly. Documents show that walnut markers were being used as late as the 1870s in Old City Cemetery. Today there are no remaining wooden markers in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Marble was the most popular gravestone material in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Easily carved, it could be polished to a high sheen. Its use locally was made possible by rail transportation to Bloomington in Marble was imported from quarries in Vermont and Europe. Although many beautiful and elaborate tombstones were carved from marble, few retain their previous splendor. Marble is a soft material and it decays rapidly. Over time, inscriptions become grainy and hard to read, particularly in modern environmental conditions. To identify marble tombstones, look for the sparkling crystals in the stone that become visible after the surface polish has deteriorated. If you notice upright tablet stones that are particularly decayed with nearly illegible inscriptions, these stones were probably made of marble or sandstone. White Bronze is an alloy made up of copper, tin, and zinc, and its coloring is bluishgray. White bronze was meant to be a less-expensive alternative to stone, manufactured by the Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was very durable, cheaper than granite, and could be molded into very intricate designs. It was used primarily during the mid-1870s to 1914 but never gained the popularity the manufacturer had expected. Limestone was a frequent choice for funerary sculpture and gravestones in the nineteenth century and could be obtained locally. It was most commonly gray in color, but between 1895 and 1930 a type of limestone referred to as blue-marble was sold for monuments. It had bluish-gray appearance and was more durable than marble but less so than granite. Signs of decay are obvious on limestone tombstones. Granite became a popular choice for gravestones in the late 1800s. By 1870 granite was quarried in Illinois, but much had to be imported, primarily from Scotland. When the railroads reached the extensive quarries of Barre, Vermont, granite became the most frequently requested stone for monuments. Its durability, varied colors (black, gray, pink, red, and white), ease of engraving, and facility of stain removal make it the most commonly used gravestone today. Virtually any century-old cemetery will contain mostly granite tombstones.

3 The majority of monuments used in Evergreen Cemetery are made of imported granite. Nine out of ten light gray stones that you see are from Vermont. Because of the immense weight and size of granite stones, the stones were generally carved into monuments near the quarry. Therefore, it is obvious that no carving of granite monuments took place in Bloomington; however, local companies did engrave lettering and floral designs on them. Below is a list of the granite origins, according to their color: A. Light gray stones: from Vermont or Georgia B. Black stones: typically from Pennsylvania, or from Africa or India C. Red stones: from Wisconsin or Missouri D. Dark brown stones: from the Dakotas

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Guide to the Granite Industry collection

Page 1 of 8 Guide to the Granite Industry collection 1870-1955 Local History and Special Collections 44 Broad Street Westerly, RI 02891 Tel: 401-596-2877 E-mail: nwright@westerlylibrary.org Published in