Bruce and Elizabeth Hayes Stone, East LongMeadow, MA

2024

Blue Black Slate

Rectangular with Gentle Curve Top

Infant Stones

Simple yet elegant designs, hand drawn letters with incised borders.

My lettering, with stylized Capital Letter. Copperplate lettering at bottom.

My lettering style based on 18th century examples.

Easley, SC

Blue Black Slate

Rectangular with Gentle Curve Top

Portrait Stone

This portrait includes details of the stitching in his baseball cap as well as the zipper on his wind breaker. I also included the elastic band at the top of his T-Shirt. 

2024

Inspired from the Portrait Stones of the 18th century, the earliest dated portrait stone in America dates to 1738. This example is a dear childhood friend of mine.

My lettering style that I use quite frequently, all hand drawn and hand carved. 

2024

Indianapolis IN

Purple Slate

Rectangular with Tri Arch Top

Lamson Style Stone from the 1720s of Charlestown, MA

This is a Soul Effigy, instead of the Death Head which was still common in the 1720s. The Soul Effigy became more popular after the Great Awakening. Every facet or line is engineering by the Lamsons to catch light and create a highlight or shadow.

A view from above, looking down. 

Manchester, NH

Blue Black Slate

Tri Arch Top

1680s style Death Head with Hebrew Inscription. 

Death Head Tympanum Motif which was very common from teh 1680s through the 1740s.

Here is the stone set, all by traditional methods.   This stone is very short, typical of stones from the 1680s. (Pic Courtesy of Keith Racine)

Blue Black Slate

Tri Arch Top

Henry Emmes Style 1750s

April 2023

Stippled Background with Cartouche

Brown Bess Musket

Soldier of French and Indian War ( 1754-63) And Revolutionary War (1775- 1783)

In the cemetery original rough hewn initial stones were found to mark their burials. The family decided to place proper period style stones. 

Close up of Brown Bess Musket, complete with Makers Marks, springs, slotted screwdriver slots, flint in the jaws of the hammer, and date of manufacture, 1747.

Blue Black Slate

Walker Style Top

1830s Era Style

Stippled Background

Weeping Willow with Urn inspired from period mourning miniatures. 

12 Branches on tree for her 12 children.

Grosse Point Mi

Blue Black Slate

Rectangular with curved Top

Block Letters Copied exactly from 1830's original.

These 2 are replacement stones for the Marble originals that are badly worn. The client made a rubbing of the 2 originals and we used them to recreate an exact copy of them both, but this time in the longer lasting slate! 

These chunky block letters are a product of the Industrial Revolution and read like a billboard! Copied exactly from the original stone from the 1830s.

Upcountry South Carolina: With Ground Penetrating Radar 144 burials of slaves were located dating from the 1780s to 1940s, most of who were unmarked. I had the pleasure to carve the entire cemetery and mark their final resting places of them all. These mark the head of the exact burials as they were found!

Blue Black Slate: Natural Cleft

Only numbers were carved 1-144, as no names are known. Only known to God, and one day will take place in the resurrection of the just and the unjust.

 " that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Act 24:15 KJV

I had the honor to set the last one, and to sign it and date it. 

Drayton Hall: Charleston SC

Blue Black Welsh Slate

Rectangular with Angled Face

Raised panel center with Ogee Moulding.

Drayton Family Crest David carved from John Henry Drayton's original design he drew in an 18th century letter. 

Dr Carter Hudgins, left, President of Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, and David Gillespie, right, set the stone at Drayton along the Ashley River. 

Drayton Hall: Charleston SC

Portland England Limestone

Ledger stone to lay flat but elevated above the ground.

A part of the Larger Columbarium at Drayton Hall Plantation, Charleston SC.

"Charlie" died at 101 years and was the 7th generation owner of Drayton Hall Plantation.

The stone is installed far right here along with other family at the Drayton Hall Columbarium. I also had the honor to carve the central family stone as depicted here and above.

Blue Black Slate

Honed Face

18th Century Lettering

April 2022

Hourglass with Wings

Installed in Northern Virginia

Purple Slate
Honed Face
18th Century Thomas Walker style Lettering

Reverse Cyma Top Shape

Incised Moulding
2022
Installed in  Virginia

Detail on Top of Purple Slate

Reverse Cyma Top Shape

Incised Moudling

2022

Green Slate

Double Incised Moulding

1st Century Roman Lettering

Ledger Stone lays flat

Green Slate has charming mottled effects.

Mallet taps create striations inside of each letter that also gives a nice white contrast to each dark slate. 

Cambria PA

Green Slate

Rectangular with low shoulder tri arch.

Butterly Cameo with my lettering.

Close up of Butterfly Cameo

Memorial Plaque

Green Slate

2021

Georgia

Blue Black Slate

Honed Face

Incised Moulding

18th Century Lettering

Simple, Clean Look

June 2021

This stone will be installed in the  

Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC. This is the same cemetery that includes burials of

J Edgar Hoover

John Philip Sousa

Tobias Lear personal secretary to George Washington

Push-Ma-Ta-Ha Choctaw Indian Chief who fought alongside Andrew Jackson in War of 1812

Matthew Brady 

Detail of above stone, v cut lettering.

18th Century Lettering Style all drawn and carved by hand.

Detail on Congressional Cemetery Stone

Vermont Green Slate

Natural Cleft Face

Incised Moulding

18th Century Lettering

Simple, Rustic Look

Dec 2020

Detail of above stone, v cut lettering.

Not perfect but intentionally rough to show striations.

Vermont Green Slate
Natural Cleft Face
Incised Moulding
18th Century Lettering
Simple, Rustic Look

Blue Black Slate

Lamson Style 1690-1750

Tri Arch Shaped Top

Lamson Style lettering

Set in Norwalk, CT

Detail of Lamson Stone above. The Death Head was just a universal symbol of mortality and a very common symbol used for folks of all walks of life. 

Blue Black Slate
Ledger Style or Set Flat
Roman Lettering
Incised Border
Set in Bremo Bluff, Va

Detail of above Ledger Stone. This letter is a Roman letter of the 1st century AD. It simply never goes out of style. You can see the Three Dimensional shape to the inside of the letter form that the light will catch and create a most visually appealing character. 

Blue Black Slate

Reverse Cyma Top

Natural Cleft Face

My Lettering Style

Detail of Kinkead Stone above to show Natural Cleft Texture

Blue Black Slate

Walker Style Top 

Thomas Walker (1790s) Script Lettering and My lettering

Edisto Island, SC

 The above shown Lindsay Stone after set in this Ethereal scene in Edisto Island, SC. Other stones in this cemetery were carved by Thomas Walker (1793-1838) whose lettering and style I used on this slate. 

Blue Black Slate
Beveled and Tri Arched Top
In the Style of Henry Emmes, Boston 1750s
This family wanted a unique design with Monties favorite things, so we included his Soccer Ball, Army Helmet, Playstation Controller, Book and Dog Dino.

Top of the Montie Gregory Stone. 

Blue Black Slate

Foot stone Ledger Style to be set flat.

Emmes style (1750s) stippled background. This technique is an easy way to add life and vitality , as well as richness to the overall appeal of a stone.

 David Gillespie carving at the SC Powder Magazine ca 1713, the oldest public building in SC. My own stlye, I draw from the stylistic vocabulary of hundreds of the most ornamented gravestones in the country only a "stones throw" from this very spot.

 Blue Black Slate

Codner Style Stone

Codner Top Shape

1740s-50s Era Inspired

 David Gillespie carving at the SC Powder Magazine ca 1713, the oldest public 

Blue Black Slate

Ledger Style Flat Mount

12" by 24" appx

Simple Bead Border

Blue Black Slate

Plaque for Children's Garden

Set into Brick Wall

Greenville SC

Puritan Lettering 1660's to 1720s

Blue Black Slate

Codner Style Stone

Codner Top Shape

1740s-50s Era Inspired

In Progress

My signature, I carve on most every stone at the bottom right typically. I make sure it is small and unobtrusive. Client can request the signature not to be added,