Hindostan Whetstone Tombstone Industry in Indiana. 1811-1860

Abstract

Stone from the Hindostan Whetstone beds in southwestern Indiana was used to fashion gravestones during the early 1800s. Whetstone grave markers were among the very first commercial tombstones used in Indiana. The production of whetstone grave markers peaked during the 1840s and dropped off rapidly in the early 1850s. This drop in production can be tied to improvements in transportation in southern Indiana. The establishment of regional railroad lines opened Indiana to white marble from places like Tennessee, Georgia, and Vermont. The Indiana limestone industry also began to produce and market commercial gravestones. The lighter colors of these later monuments were preferred. Unfortunately, the marble and limestone markers were much more susceptible to the ravages of the weather and deteriorated rapidly. During the late 1800s they were eventually displaced by monuments of igneous and metamorphic rocks such as granite, or, for a short period of time in the 1890s, by metal monuments. The whetstone tombstone industry was by then largely forgotten.