Granite, the earth’s most plentiful and durable stone, finds new and surprising applications in a modern world millions of years after it was formed deep within the earth.

Granite can be used to achieve a warm or cool look; it can be rustic or refined, casual or elegant. Because it is one of the hardest materials available, it is also virtually maintenance free.

Vermont’s Barre Gray – quarried in Graniteville is the standard of the world for monumental grade granite. Its durability, strength and moisture resistance along with its consistent gray color, free of impurities makes it the most sought after stone for the fine detailed designs and patterns of the memorial and monumental industry. Take a moment to read “The Barre Backstory” article to learn more about the value there is in a monument manufactured with Barre Gray.

Artistic Quality – Centuries of ancestral training and experience constitute the antecedents of Barre’s granite men. Many of the Italian designers, sculptors, carvers, artisans and manufacturers can trace their ancestry back to medieval times, when Michelangelo and other immortals of the era relied upon the superb traditional skill of the marble workers and carvers in famed Cararra, Italy, for accurate interpretation of their models or drawings. So likewise the Scotch artisans who located in Barre take pride in their heritage in the art of working stone, dating back to the earliest days of the 11th Century.

It is easy to understand why these artists and artisans in the new community were not long in exercising a direct and profound influence upon their fellow workers, upon their employers and upon one of the most important industrial arts in America — the art of commemoration.

Hope Cemetery– Encompassing over 65 acres, Hope Cemetery showcases many of the finest examples of memorial design and craftsmanship in the world.  All of the memorials and monuments at Hope are made from “Barre Gray” granite. The video below gives you a close-up look at Hope Cemetery and some of the extraordinary pieces of memorial art on display there.