If you read my last post, then you know there are some interesting things going on at the Old Parish Burying Ground in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Among the not so ideal stone repairs, there are some spectacular gravestones at that site and I highly recommend you check it out if you’re in the area! There is work by ‘JW’ who signed their initials bigger than the name of the person dedicated on the gravestones, and some earlier sandstone markers from the 18th century with classic memento mori imagery including skulls, bones, and hour glasses. Your time is fleeting, etc!

The monuments I want to write about today though are unlike anything I’d ever seen before! When we rolled up to the burial ground and saw them, my first thought was that we were witnessing the world’s weirdest gravestone repair, somehow broken off halfway up and mounted high over the grass on posts…but then we took a closer look…

I took photos and posted them my instagram wondering what on earth was happening here?? A follower from the states (@hails_stones on Instagram) replied and said they looked like ‘billboard monuments’ which are common in Maine! Sure enough, when I did a little research I came across the work of Ron Romano, apparently only person researching these unique monuments. He has two books on them, and was nice enough to reply to my message and emails about them! Currently there are not very many examples of these unique monuments recorded, with the current count at: Maine (42), Vermont (30), New Hampshire (3), Massachusetts (3), Quebec (2) and now Nova Scotia (2).

Ron let me know that these are, in fact, billboard monuments and not the weirdest conservation we’ve ever seen, and that they are actually the first two billboard monuments that have been identified in the Atlantic provinces! There are two in Quebec, and until now those were the only two recorded in Canada….but not anymore! They are a style of grave marker that we’ve never seen anywhere before, so it was really exciting to learn that recording them was a first for the records. We returned to Windsor today and took a series of measurements of the monuments for posterity, and also so that Ron could calculate the weight of the marble of the stone. We also learned that marble increased in weight by 10-20% when wet due to the porosity of the stone! Good to note for anyone working with historic cemeteries.

The Wier Monument

These style of grave markers seem to all be for multiple people, and at least for these examples they are family members who all died relatively close together. The Wier family monument, for example, commemorates Thomas, William, and Samuel Wier, the young children of Thomas and Catherine Wier, who all died within a few weeks of one another in late 1851. The central panel of the monument, dedicated to William (age 6), is decorated with a sprig of what I think might be roses, showing three closed flower buds representing the three boys.

The monument is supported above the ground on a cast-iron frame, where carved tabs on either end of the marble sit in rectangular brackets made to support the stone. According to Ron, only 10% of the known billboard monuments have a metal support frame, and the added metal strap across the bottom is extra support against the legs splaying outwards under the weight of the marble. As we all know, gravestones are much heavier than they might look, and I’m looking forward to getting the weight calculations to add to this post!

The bracing bar across the bottom of the frame of the monument is detatched on the left side, however, as the bolts appear to have sheered. If you visit the Old Parish Burying Ground, please note that the monument appears stable, but wobbles back and forth when touched, so please don’t lean on it!

The Cochran Monument

This is the larger of the two monuments, dedicated to three individuals who did not die in the same year. The central panel is dedicated to Rev. William Cochran D.D., an Anglican missionary in Canada and a professor at King’s College in Windsor. He died in 1833 at age 77. To his right is the panel for his wife Rebecca who died a few years earlier in 1826 at age 65. The only details of her life are the name of her father and his country of origin. finally to the left is the panel dedicated to their daughter Maria who died in 1845, at age 57. It is possible that Maria had commissioned this gravestone before her death as her’s was the latest date on the stone, or that another relative or sibling had it carved after her death to commemorate them all.

I thought this stone was very interesting because of the three marble footstones coordinating with the names on the panels. I do not know if this is a unique addition to a billboard monument, but it stood out! The style of posts seen here are called ‘pocket slot post’, and they are made of sandstone. When we took a closer look, there is a filled hole on the top of each post. If this is original, it suggests a pin in the top of the tab on either side of the marble.

Based on chatting with Ron, these are unique and pretty ornate examples of billboard monuments! They all have gabled tops to the panels, with borders around them, delicate changes in the inscriptions, and iconography on the Wier stone which is a rare addition! These stone monuments are such an interesting monument style, which I am so pleased to know exists! We’ve already alerted the municipality of the rare monument style that have been identified here, so hopefully we’ll see some recognition and protection for the monuments in the future.

That’s all I have for now! I will update this post when I have some potential weights of the marble pieces to show you all, and if you’re interested in reading more about these amazing monuments, check out Ron’s books:

Romano, Ron
2020. Billboard Monuments of Maine: A Collection of Rare 1800s Gravestones. Indie Author Books
2022. Curious Gravestones in Northern New England: Billboard Monuments, Volume II, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Maine Authors Publishing: Thomaston, Maine.

Thanks for reading!