White Bronze metal monument
When you come across a blueish colored grave monument you can’t help but wonder how it has maintained its lettering and clarity of the dates. No, it is not a later replacement, it is the original zinc metal grave marker. Manufactured by the Bridgeport, CT. Bronze Company, these long lasting but somewhat fragile monuments were custom made from 1876 until 1914.
When you tap on the surface of these monuments you can immediately tell it is metal. The seams where the individual pieces are joined are also obvious. Each piece was cast in Bridgeport and then shipped to the cemetery for installation. Customers dealt with sales reps armed with multiple catalogues with unlimited possibilities for choice of monuments.
Name/dates of deceased and panel with “Shaking Hands”
“HOW DESOLATE OUR HOME BEREFT OF THEE”
The zinc-tin alloy used in the castings did not rust and resisted the growth of mold or algae. Each monument was custom ordered, so all are one of a kind. The designs included panels that were screwed in and could even be changed at a later date, if desired. These were perfect for symbols like the shaking hands, sheaves of wheat or personal messages in addition to the name and dates of the deceased.
A smaller monument
Name/date still legible after nearly 140 years
The material of these was advertised as White Bronze. White Bronze doesn’t exist. These are made with a zinc-tin alloy. The company, however, felt that White Bronze is a much classier and sophisticated name than zinc. They also claimed (of course!) that their monuments would outlast any stone monument. In a way that was true, however these zinc beauties were susceptible to breakage from, for example, falling trees. In addition, very tall monuments could suffer over time from settlement of part of the bases.
This panel would have been custom ordered for the monument
The next time you are enjoying a relaxing walk through a cemetery or graveyard keep an eye out for different looking monuments. Go have a look, it just might be a one of a kind White Bronze monument that was cast in Bridgeport, Connecticut between 1876 and 1914. The photos in this post were taken in the Arlington East Cemetery in Rush County, Indiana.
Entrance marker to Rose Hill 
A unique brick and stone monument. Note the entrance gate in the background 
Note the Hand pointing up: symbol for deceased going to heaven 
Monument to Civil War Vets 
Infantryman on CW monument. Note that vandals have knocked off the musket 
Ornate multi-level family monument…
The only marker on the grave 
The road still splits around the graves 
Within a few minutes we were leading a long line of cars, trucks and semi’s crawling along at a blistering 10 MPH behind the bright yellow digital sign board mounted on the truck. The signs let us know to NOT pass or drive over a freshly painted line. We peeled off right as soon as we hit a cross road to avoid continuing the snail’s pace of the sign truck. We still enjoyed our country drive.
New Orleans is celebrating it’s 300th birthday during 2018. 
For some reason, only mules are used to pull the carriages that drive around the town. 
The window display at Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop. 
Above ground tombs in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Only tour groups are allowed into the cemetery to help control vandalism 
Bourbon Street in New Orleans, known for music, food and revelry. Note the famed balcony iron work in the background 
Roadtirement 