19th Century Gravestone Carvers in Sanpete County by Carol Edison

• Report rights infringement
• published: 07 Oct 2015
• views: 90

Part of Utah Archives Month 2015 at the Utah State Archives. See all events at http://utaharchivesmonth.org and http://www.facebook.com/utaharchivesmonth. "Men Who Left Their Mark: Nineteenth Century Gravestone Carvers in Sanpete County" Sanpete County has long been known for its historic homes, outbuildings, traditional town plans, churches and community structures, much of this built using the many local deposits of oolitic limestone.  Limestone grave markers, hand-carved by first-generation craftsmen, offer another example of the area’s rich material culture. There is much to be learned by studying gravestones. They not only provide a tangible reminder of deceased family and friends, but also a wealth of information about the community. Their words and symbols communicate family relationships, ethnic heritage, religious beliefs and settlement history. Materials, design and production techniques reveal occupational and economic history, community traditions and artistic heritage. And studying the ways people chose to honor and memorialize those closest to them often reveals a community’s real concerns, core beliefs and intrinsic values. The carvers of these earliest Sanpete markers were from Scandinavia, the British Isles and the eastern US. Each brought styles and conventions from their homelands to contribute to the building of the Mormon Zion. Working with wooden mallets and iron chisels, they carved and sculpted distinctive headstones to honor and memorialize family members and neighbors. Today a surprisingly large number of 19th century gravestones remains, offering an unsurpassed legacy of historical artistry as well as insight into the culture and lifestyle of Sanpete 150 years ago. This presentation will focus on the output of a dozen Sanpete carvers whose beautifully crafted gravestones are among the finest examples of 19th century Utah folk art that exists today.