Marble Museum Exhibit Explains Vt. Role In Tomb Of The Unknown

Monday, 05/31/10 7:34am and 5:50pm

Lynne McCrea

Courtesy of Vermont Marble Museum
(Host) Just in time for Memorial Day, there’s a new exhibit at the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor.

As VPR’s Lynne McCrea reports, it tells the story of Vermont’s connection to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside Washington, D.C.

(McCrea) Some of the best-known monuments in Washington were built with marble from Vermont.
Cathy Miglorie is manager at the Vermont Marble Museum.

(Miglorie) “Vermont marble is found in the Supreme Court building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Arlington Memorial amphitheater, the Red Cross building, and of course at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”

(McCrea) The original Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a simple white slab of marble from Danby, Vermont. Later, a sarcophagus was added, making it the tomb as we know it today. That marble was quarried in Colorado. But it was sent to Proctor to be made into the Tomb.

The museum knew the Vermont Marble Company played a role in the fabrication – but it didn’t know to what extent. Until last year, when a student intern named Robert Congdon dug up papers and artifacts that detailed what went into the production.

(Miglorie) “Robert, literally dusted off history and brought it to life. He found several very interesting documents… these old ledger books. And what those books told us were … the fabrication of these memorials. And all those different pieces really put the history together for us. We knew that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier had been carved here but until we actually found that paper trail we didn’t really know enough of the history. So we’re just so happy to share that with everyone.”

(McCrea) The newly discovered material is now on display in an exhibit that opened this month.

(Miglorie) “The exhibit itself shows the old artifacts, the ledger books, the index card system, and we also came across a number of photos that have never been seen before.”

(McCrea) Cathy Miglorie says the exhibit is the story of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before it arrived in Washington, D.C.

(Miglorie) “And we’re just excited to be able to tell that story and show that pride that we have, not only as Americans but as Vermonters – that this national icon came from our state.”

(McCrea) For VPR News, I’m Lynne McCrea.