If
you’ve spent much time in a cemetery, you know that not all grave markers are
the same. Today, we’ll take a look at six types of stone you will find in a graveyard.
Types of Headstones
1)
Fieldstone (1600s – Present)
Fieldstones were the earliest types of grave markers used from 1600s to the present. Besides being plentiful, these rocks could be carved, chiseled or painted with a name,
dates and other information. The main problem was that over the decades, the stones get moved so many might not
be where they were originally placed.
You will still find fieldstones in cemeteries. They became popular again during the Great Depression when families could not afford markers.
2)
Slate (1600s – 1900s)
Slate was very popular, mainly in the eastern U.S. during
the 18th to the 20th centuries. One of the reasons is because the stone is easy to carve. Slate can withstand freezing and thawing fairly well, which is why we can still read them. And acid
rain appears to have a minimal effect. But due to the stone’s porousness, it is
subject to delamination, which means it separates into sheets and falls away.
3)
Sandstone (1650s – late 1800s)
Sandstone was another stone that carvers used from the 1650s to the late 1800s. It was easy to decorate and was available around the country. The stone’s color may range from red
to light tan to brown to grey. The problem with this stone includes spalling and flaking. This is where pieces chip
off the stone making the surface uneven, hard to read and encourages the growth of lichen.
6)
Granite (mid-1800s – present)
Granite is the most durable of gravestones, and
currently, the most popular. With use mainly from the mid-1800s to the present, these gravestones can be red or grey in color. The red
stones contain a small amount of oxidized iron. Granite that ranges from bright red to pink in color usually come
from Missouri, and the darker red stones are from Wisconsin. Grey stones are quarried mainly in New Hampshire. Granite lettering is resistant to deterioration, and
the stone does not erode. Modern techniques make it easy to carve, and lasers
allow etching of personal images to tell your life’s story.
And then there’s the marker that isn’t really a stone but still prevalent in cemeteries across the country:
Bonus – White Bronze (Zinc) (1880s – 1920s)
“Tombstone Tourists” will be
familiar with another type of gravestone made of white bronze or zinc. Although not
white, and not made of bronze, these memorials are usually very detailed,
always different, and found in very good to excellent condition. White bronze
monuments are easy to spot once you start looking for their telltale
bluish-grey color.
White bronze monuments offered
a less expensive alternative for a custom designed and detailed grave marker. But there were those who looked down on the
white bronze marker as being a cheap imitation of a solid granite stone. Some cemeteries even banned them, many times
due to the urging of local granite and marble monument companies. This is part of the reason they had such a short life, only from the 1880s to the 1920s.
These monuments weathered well
but they did have one flaw – creep. This occurs when the weight of the top of
the monument bears down onto the base and it begins to bow or bulge – very
slowly, over the years. The only way to rectify this is to place a
stainless-steel armature inside the base of this hollow marker to help support the upper weight.
Regardless of what type of
stone you decide on, be sure to put a little of your story on the marker with
carvings, images or symbols. Leave something for the coming generations to
consider and enjoy when they wander the cemeteries.
~ Joy
