The Harrison Granite Company of New York City was founded in 1845.  It had quarries and works at Barre, Vermont.  The company mailed out brochures January of 1918, featuring the Earnshaw Memorial at the Spring Grove Cemetery at Cincinnati, Ohio.  the Earnshaw Monument was described as Greek Corinthian, and was “Designed, Executed and Erected by the Harrison Granite Company”.

The brochure states, “The interpretation of classic forms is the true expression of lasting tribute to the departed. Simplicity of treatment rather than ornateness has characterized the efforts of the company for the past 73 years. Ranging from monumental pieces of public interest to the simplest of private tributes this organization has achieved wonderful success in executing the conceptions of prominent sculptors and architects as well as the work of its own carefully selected staff of designers.” The Earnshaw Monument is a shining example of the interpretation of a “classic form for a lasting tribute.”

The brochure was prepared as an advertisement. Interspersed among pictures of magnificent monuments designed by Harrison Granite were lists of customers from across the United States as an inducement for others to purchase a monument from the company. This type of advertising is known as bandwagon advertising. That is, the advertisers use the fact that because many others like the product it is proof that you will like it, too.

Joseph Earnshaw

September 16, 1831 – January 13, 1906

Neoclassical designed monuments can be found in many large urban cemeteries in the United States, including Spring Grove Cemetery at Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Joseph Earnshaw Grecian Corinthian-style monument was based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates which is located at the base of the Acropolis at Athens, Greece.  The Lysicrates monument was the first building to have Corinthian columns on its exterior.  The building was built by Lysicrates a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus.

This Harrison Granite Company catalog and many other gravestone and monument company brochures can be found at the Stone Quarries and Beyond Website: http://quarriesandbeyond.org/cemeteries_and_monumental_art/cemetery_stones.html.

The Stone Quarries and Beyond Website was created by Peggy B. and Patrick Perazzo. It focuses on historic stone quarries, stone workers and companies, and related subjects such as geology. Whenever possible links of finished products are provided on the Website. There is a “Quarry Articles” section that presents articles, booklets, and links from the late 1800s to early 1900s, including the 1856 “The Marble-Workers’ Manual.” The “Cemetery Stones and Monuments” section provides references and resources, including many old monument magazines, catalogs, price lists, and a photographic tour “From Quarry to Cemetery Monuments.”