TOMBSTONE COMPOSITION IN EAU CLAIRE BY DECADE DANIEL VESTNES

HYPOTHESIS Tombstones change in composition and color by decade. Usage of sandstone dies out in the early twentieth century due to being replaced by granites which are more durable and longer lasting. In different decades certain material colors used for tombstones are more popular.

RESEARCH METHOD Location : Forest Hill Cemetery, 822 Emery Street Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Data used : Tombstone composition, color, and, age in decade collected from 363 tombstones.

LOCATION OF TOMBSTONES IN FOREST HILL CEMETERY

TOMBSTONE COMPOSITIONS Sandstone Marble

TOMBSTONE COMPOSITIONS Gray Granite White Granite

TOMBSTONE COMPOSITIONS Red Granite

TOMBSTONE COMPOSITIONS Blue Granite Bronze

TOMBSTONE COMPOSITION BY DECADE RAW DATA AgeSandstoneMarbleBronzeWhite GraniteGray GraniteBlack GraniteRed GranitePink GraniteBlue Granite 1860s9 1870s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s211 Total #363

CONCLUSIONS Sandstone was the main material used for tombstones from the 1860s until it started to be replaced by granite in the early twentieth century. Granite was the dominant material used for tombstones from the 1910s to 2000s, with different colors being prominent in different decades. In the 1910s white granite was dominant, from the 1920s to the 1930s white and gray granites were dominant, from the 1940s to the 1960s red granite was dominant, in the 1970s pink granite was dominant, in the 1980s and 1990s there was a fairly even percentage of different colored granites being used, and in the 2000s white and gray granites were once again the dominant colors.

BIBLIOGRAPHY “Cemeteries.” City of Eau Claire Web. claire.wi.us/home/cemeteries “03 June 2012.” claire.wi.us/home/cemeteries “Eau Claire, WI Granite Color Options.” Lifetime Memorials LLC Web. claire-wi-granite-colors.htm “03 June 2012.” claire-wi-granite-colors.htm