The zinc markers were originally marketed as "White Bronze" from the
Monumental Bronze Company in Hartford, CT. They were considered a less expensive
alternative to bronze and even stone in some cases. It's fairly easy to
tell how well a salesman was in a particular area by the number of markers
found in the cemeteries. As Mark stated, the bluish gray color is the result of
oxidation of the zinc, which, when first cast, was a more believable
"stone" shade of gray. Many of them were purchased though catalog by traveling
salesmen. Because they were cast, they could be made of virtually any shape.
The screwed-on plates could contain either decorative panels, such as a
bouquet of flowers, sheaf of wheat, a lamb, angels, a reaper complete with
sickle, and many other designs, or a cast inscription. Actually, an inscription
plate could replace a decorative plate when the need arose. They do not
erode like stone and therefore retain their clarity even to this day. Zinc
was also a common material used for Civil War monuments. The largest I have
seen in my area is easily over 20 feet tall and suffered terribly from the
sagging and creep Mark mentioned. It was professionally repaired at great
cost and again looks terrific.
When I give cemetery tours we identify different types of stone and I like
to have a little fun when we get to a zinc marker and I ask everyone what
kind of material they think it is. They make their guesses and then I gently
rap on the side so they can hear it is metal. It never ceases to amaze
those unfamiliar with the bluish gray color and they have fun looking for more.
If you are lucky, you can find the name of the foundry near the base of the
monument.
All best,
Katie Karrick (The Cemetery Lady)
n a message dated 12/19/2009 1:07:38 PM Eastern Standard Time,
md9105(a)rogerscomputers.net writes:
The white bronze stones were manufactured by American Bronze in Conn., also
in Chicago, and Detroit Bronze in Detroit. I am not aware that any were
assembled at the customer location, but were "brazed" at the corners of the
panels at the factory. If you look inside one you will be able to see the
brazing in the corners. You will see a lot more of these monuments in the
northern county tiers of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois, and southern Michigan
counties. I believe Door Village cemetery in Laporte Co., IN has over 60.
Remember that these monuments have an inherent problem called "creeping" or
"sag".The weight of the monument over the years causes the metal to sag,
especially on the bottom panel that attaches to the base. Also the bronze
is brittle and small to large stress cracks appear on many of them. Do not
attempt to remove any of the screw heads that secure the panels, usually
they will break or strip the threads when putting pressure on them. The
metal can not withstand prying on the corners, or trying to straighten the
panel to be in plane or level. Remember that they can be cleaned with scrub
brush..but the patina is created by the oxidation of the bronze with
air..and aggresive techniques will bring loss of patina(The oxidation
layer)..best advice is leave them alone... and they will come home wagging
their tails behind them(ha ha)
I have worked on maybe 50 of them...extreme caution is needed. You cant man
handle them.
Mark Davis
Stone Saver