Projects

Whetstone Gravestones

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We are searching for locations of graveyards or burial sites that contain whetstone tombstones, sarcophagi, and vaults. These slab-shaped monuments were produced in Orange County, Indiana as a product of the Hindostan (Indiana) whetstone industry during the decades from about 1820 to 1860. There is a possibility that a greater volume of whetstone was produced for tombstones than for whetstones during this period.

Whetstone tombstones have been identified in southern and southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois. We expect to find them in graveyards along navigable waterways, canals, freight roads, and early railways. It is entirely possible that these stones were transported as far south as New Orleans, Louisiana. Whetstone can be recognized by the layering seen on the edges of the headstones. The layers represent tidal deposition, called rhythmites. Generally, pairs of layers are equal to two daily tides.

• How to identify a whetstone gravestone

Please contact us if you have information to report or want additional information. Contact the IGS at (812) 855-7636, Indiana Geological Survey, 611 N. Walnut Grove, Bloomington, IN 47405 or e-mail igsinfo@indiana.edu.