Monuments and Memorials

"Monuments are the grappling-irons that bind one generation to another" -Joubert quoted in Modern Marble Memorials

Not only did the Vermont Marble Co. make a profit off of funerary work with various designs of gravestone markers and headstones, but the material from the company's quarries was used in a number of notable memorial works across the country, though especially in Washington DC.

"A brief list of Old World marble structures which for centuries have been the inspiration of memorial designers."

(Speaking of Marble)

1871 oil painting of the Parthenon by Frederic Edwin Church

The Parthenon

Temple of Theseus

Temple of Minerva

Temple of Ilissus

Monument of Lysicrates

Monument of Thrasyllus

Tower of the Winds

Temple of Zeus

Temple of Nemesis

Temple of Jupiter

Temple of Demeter

Temple of Diana

Temple of Mausolus

Temple of Neptune

Temple of Ceres

Basilica

Arch of Titus

Arch of Constantine

Arch of Severus

Arch of Beniventum

Temple of Saturn

Trajan Column

Leaning Tower

Tomb of Theodoric

Mosque of Omar

Taj Mahal

Of both educational pamphlets and memorial catalogues published by the Vermont Marble Co., writers continually drew comparisons between the ancient use of marble in revered examples of architecture and sculpture and their own funerary and memorial work.

In Modern Memorials in Marble, for example, a comparison is drawn between their own headstone product exhibited in the catalogue and Michelangelo's new sacristy at San Lorenzo.

One of many adjacent pages comparing ancient works with that of the Vermont Marble Co.

Published in 1920, Speaking of Marble discusses a few reasons why marble was being used "even more than in the past" for the nation's memorials.

View this 3D marble relief of The Last Supper and other artifacts related to the marble industry from the Vermont State University Digital Archaeology Project.

Famous Memorial Works by the Vermont Marble Company

Arlington Amphitheatre

"Arlington Amphitheater, the largest cemetery memorial in the world; a tribute to the nation's soldiers and sailors. Erected in Arlington Cemetery just outside of Washington, dedicated May 15, 1920." (Modern Marble Memorials)

According to Speaking of Marble, Arlington Amphitheatre covers 60,000 square ft and has a seating capacity of 5,000. It took 450 carloads of Vermont marble to build the structure.

Postcard of Arlington Amphitheatre (1927)

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Lincoln Memorial

Dedicated in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC was made out of marble from the Vermont Marble Co.'s Yule Colorado Quarry, though the statue was made out of marble from Georgia.

DC War Memorial

Constructed in 1931 to honor those who served in the first world war, the District of Columbia War Memorial was made out of marble from Danby, VT.

Jefferson Memorial

Constructed between 1939 and 1943, the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC was made out of marble from Danby, VT.

Vermont Marble in Washington DC

Map of some of the use of Vermont marble in Washington DC's main buildings according to Building Stones of Our Nation's Capitol published by the USGS

Finished drums for the columns of the Lincoln Memorial

Columns for the Jefferson Memorial

Dedication of the Lincoln Memorial (1922)

References

Modern Marble Memorials. Proctor, VT: Vermont Marble Co., 1920. https://archive.org/details/ModernMemorialsInMarble/page/n51/mode/2up.

Speaking of Marble. Proctor, VT: Vermont Marble Co., 1920. https://archive.org/details/speakingofmarble00verm/mode/2up?view=theater&ui=embed&wrapper=false.

U.S. Geological Survey. “Building Stones of Our Nation's Capitol.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975. https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/70039206/report.pdf.

Vermont State University Digital Archaeology Project. 2025. “Vermont Marble Industry Artifacts.” Sketchfab. https://sketchfab.com/VTSU3D/collections/vermont-marble-industry-artifacts-f1144df3275a4c4195236836986c7471.

For more resources, see the About page.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse