In 1930, quarrymen in Marble, Colorado carefully raised a 56-ton block of pure white marble from the depths of the Yule Quarry. It was placed it on a railcar and shipped it to the small town of Proctor, home of The Vermont Marble Company and its talented, multi-national craftsmen.

The immigrant workers of the Vermont Marble Company had little way of knowing that this block of marble would come to represent the heartbeat of their new country–the United States. Today, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorializes the generations of service men and women who sacrificed their lives not only in the past, but in our nation’s ongoing military conflicts.

The exhibit’s short film depicts the creation of this shrine. Historic photos, a stirring soundtrack, and a glimpse into the present-day Changing of the Guard ceremony highlight the history of the Tomb and the role that The Old Guard plays in guarding our national icon. The film will be shown daily at The Vermont Marble Museum as part of the new Tomb of the Unknown Soldier permanent exhibit.

TOMB MOVIE TRAILER

Men working on the block of pure white marble for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Proctor, VT monument shop of the Vermont Marble Company

preview of one of the photos that we’ll hang…taken by the staff photographer of the Vermont Marble Museum in the 1930’s. Enjoy.

When you click on the link to read the story, please note the “Related Content” section on the right hand side. There you’ll find links to many of the Marble Minutes series. Happy Reading!

The block, complete with advertising sign, is given a moment of respect as it is readied for shipment across country.

By CATHY MIGLORIE SPECIAL TO THE HERALD – Published: November 13, 2009

 The editors of The Memory Stone, while recognizing how important the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier would be as a monument to the nation’s war dead, probably had no idea of the thousands of visitors who would make the pilgrimage to Arlington each day to pay their respects throughout the years.

They did, however, recognize the marketing genius of telling prospective buyers that they can purchase the very same marble for their own family monument and stressed that to their readers.

As work began on the Tomb in Proctor, the April 1931 issue of The Memory Stone reported:

“To raise a 56-ton block from quarries that are 10,000 feet above sea level, lower it by cable to the railroads, and then slide it down the track to a point where it can be loaded for cross-country shipment is a task of no mean proportions. Going back a step further, it’s an extremely exacting commission to go into the quarry and cut out a block of that size which shall be flawlessly even in color and suited for the fine art of the sculptor. That, however, is what has been done in providing the block to complete the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The huge sarcophagus of Yule Colorado marble reached Vermont the last week of February. It has been inspected by the sculptor, the architect, the contractor, and a representative of the Quartermaster General’s Department, and it has their unanimous approval.

“The pictures tell you something of its progress from the bed of the quarry to the car on which it traveled to Vermont. It went first to the West Rutland mill. By the time you read this it will be in the Proctor shops. Much work must be done on it there before it finally goes to Washington. The last of the carving will be executed by the Piccirilli Brothers under the direction of the sculptor after it is set in Arlington Cemetery.

“Doubtless you may remember that when the Unknown Soldier was brought home from across the seas it was planned to complete the temporary memorial which was reared in his honor. As soon as a Congressional fund was available, a competition was inaugurated and the designers of the country were invited to submit plans. The winning design, among the 73 sent in, was created by Lorimer Rich, a New York architect, with whom was associated Thomas Hudson Jones, sculptor. The model is illustrated on the next page.

“The new approach to the Tomb, made possible through a specially constructed road, will be from the Washington side. A broad flight of steps will lead up to it from a level 20 feet below, so that those who visit it may get their first view from the most impressive angle. The end which faces the road and looks across from the Potomac towards the nation’s capitol will have sculptured figures, as portrayed by the model, representing Victory, Peace and American Manhood. The other end, which faces the Arlington Memorial, will bear the inscription. On the sides, set apart by Doric pilasters, are six carven wreaths, signifying a world of memories.

“It will be understood that the block on the car represents simply the die of this memorial. The finished tomb, including sarcophagus, cap and bases, will be approximately 16 feet long, 10 feet wide and 11 feet high. The amount set apart by Congress to meet the cost of the work is about $50,000.

“The Memory Stone is giving considerable space to this contract because, first of all, it applies to one of the most celebrated of the world’s cemetery monuments. People everywhere are interested in it. Newspapers in various parts of the country have pictured the block as it came from the ground and told the story of its significant pilgrimage. Besides, purely from the standpoint of engineering and mechanics, it’s a real record of achievement.

More than that, though, it deserves notice because of the tribute that it pays to the Yule Colorado deposit. Many different marbles were considered, but Yule was the variety shown. That in itself is unusual commendation. Even more remarkable, however, is the fulfilling of the contract. Comparatively few quarries are able to produce sound blocks of such dimensions and the fact that the Yule quarries delivered that huge white shaft of unimpeachable quality is perhaps the most notable part of the record. That is the angle which should appeal to memorial buyers in all parts of the country. That is the phase of it which cannot be too greatly emphasized by the craftsman, for it certainly means much to the prospective purchaser when you tell him that he may have on his cemetery lot the same marble that was used for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”

The Vermont Marble Co. regularly placed advertisements in popular American magazines touting the excellence of their marble for memorials. As early as October 1927, The Memory Stone told its marble industry audience about the full-color, full-page advertisement that would be placed in the November 1927 issue of Ladies Home Journal and other favorite publications.

“The Artist in Arlington

“What more timely theme could be invoked for memorial advertising in November that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Arlington Amphitheatre — and what could more effectively endorse and demonstrate the incomparable excellence of Vermont Marble as the nation’s Memory Stone!”

The article goes on to describe how artist John Newton Howitt went to Washington to sketch the area, observing the visitors to the Tomb and the play of light on the marble surfaces. The finished ad was described in this way to the marble dealers:

“Here you see the familiar simplicity of the Unknown Soldier’s resting place. Beyond and above rises the majestic portal of the Memorial Amphitheatre. Autumn leaves strew the ground. Just marching out of the picture a soldier keeps the nation’s ceaseless vigil … and to this hallowed spot the artist brings all the proud womanhood of the land and the sad, sweet memories that stir all hearts from which grief has passed away. Two women, depicted with admirable sympathy, make the entire painting a story of family devotion — and the older of the two lays a wreath upon the marble with the unmatched tenderness of one who touches the brow of a sleeping son.”

Beneath the advertisement’s stirring picture lies the words “Dear son of memory, great heir of fame — Kings for such a tomb would wish to die” — a tribute taken from Milton’s Epitaph to Shakespeare. The ad copy then sums up in “scarcely more than a hundred words the whole story and applies its power to a dignified and effective selling appeal on behalf of the retailers of Vermont Marble memorials.”

The story of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the subject of a new exhibit to be unveiled in May at the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor. Marble Minutes is designed to share the history of the marble industry in Vermont. It is part of the Dimensions of Marble program, which, through six distinct projects, will bring together the history of the marble quarries and workers, the communities in which they lived, the artistry of sculptors past and present, and the people, who over generations, created a multitude of new projects and brought prosperity to the region. For more information on Dimensions of Marble, visit www.dimensionsofmarble.org or email Megan Smith, executive director at info@dimensionsofmarble.org.

By CATHY MIGLORIE SPECIAL TO THE HERALD – Published: November 6, 2009

It is February 1931. From the bed of the quarry in Yule, Colo., a 56-ton block of pure white marble, specially chosen for the great shrine that is to become the sarcophagus of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is about to be raised from the depths. Successful achievement of this task would epitomize the great progress of marble quarrying in America at the time.

Quarrymen were known for their poise and calm when dealing with the huge blocks, averaging in size of 8 to 10 tons, raising them from the quarry floor in sure precision to place carefully on a rail flat car or the quarry edge. Raising the 56-ton block for the Tomb, however, was a task of monumental proportions. The story that follows is taken from National Association of Marble’s monthly publication, “Through the Ages,” published in May 1931.

“To the visitor who is unfamiliar with the handling of stone, seasoned American quarrymen always impress him as a quiet lot going about their business with a nonchalance which quite belies the tremendous power and great masses with which they deal. Watch them, some day, raise an average size block of marble from the quarry floor without a trace of nervousness or the least excitement.

“But one day not so long ago this attitude was lacking among a little group of men working on the cliff face of a Colorado mountain nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. There was a tenseness about them not entirely caused by the snapping cold of mid-winter. To the experienced eye they were about to perform an unusual task. A glance at the derrick revealed its massiveness, its special reinforced bracing, its noticeably heavy rigging. It had been shipped all the way from Vermont expressly for this occasion. The stout boom, also reinforced, leaned out over a quarry opening and from its head dropped the thick cable into the depths below.

“A signal was given. Motors hummed. The cable slowly became taut. The great boom moved ponderously, and expert eyes traveled quickly over every part of the equipment to see that it met the strain without signs of weakening. Control levers were eased forward the merest fraction of an inch; the operator could take no chances with a fatal jerk.

“One hundred and twenty-five feet below on the quarry floor a great white mass groaned, slid an inch or two, then, at a pace scarcely visible, was lifted towards the square of light above. To those watchers on the surface, what seemed a small rectangle of white on the quarry floor slowly grew and grew as it neared the top until it threatened to more than fill the mouth of the quarry. At last it reached the opening, and out into the white light of winter swung the gleaming 56-ton block of Yule, Colo., marble, a nation’s tribute in the rough to that Unknown Soldier who sleeps near the entrance of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheatre.

“It is true that to produce a block of marble weighing 56 tons is not a record-breaking feat in American quarrying; but getting out a block of this size in any quarry involves a vast amount of intensive preparatory work, especially when, as in this case, the quarries are situated high up in almost inaccessible mountain ranges. When this huge piece finally was brought safely to the surface, more than a year had passed since operations had been started to cut it from the bed of the quarry. During that time a railroad had been extended 600 feet along the side of the mountain to connect directly with the quarry opening.

“Another difficult task faced those in charge of the work when it came to lowering the block from the quarry level down the steep incline of the new track to the main line. A special skid of oak timbers was built with one end resting on two small rail-wheels. The block, fastened to this skid, was then snubbed down the spur track to the lower level. Two electric locomotives were brought up to do the hauling. One was attached to the front, another to the rear, and the procession, one end of the massive block riding on the two wheels while the other end dragged on the rails, started over the three-and-a-half-mile course which twists and loops down the mountain to the town of Marble, a drop of 2,000 feet. The road contains several steep grades, one of which is 17 percent, and when the load passed over them the rear locomotive helped to hold back so that absolute control was maintained at every point.

“At Marble, the block was loaded by block and tackle on a regular railroad flat car for its long journey across the country to Vermont. It arrived there in the middle of February. Shortly afterward it was given a final inspection and the unanimous approval of the sculptor, the architect, the contractor, and a representative of the Quartermaster General’s Department.”

Now the craftsmen’s work begins. From the block’s first stop at the West Rutland mill for inspection, to the Proctor shops where much work is completed, and finally the journey to Washington, where the last of the carving is be executed under the direction of the sculptor, Thomas Hudson Jones.

The Vermont Marble Museum is seeking stories of the men who worked on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for its new exhibit to be unveiled in May 2010. We encourage relatives and friends of the men to share information about them by contacting the Vermont Marble Museum, (802) 459-2300, or cmiglorie@vermont-marble.com.

Marble Minutes is designed to share the history of the marble industry in Vermont. It is part of the Dimensions of Marble program, which, through six distinct projects, will bring together the history of the marble quarries and workers, the communities in which they lived, the artistry of sculptors past and present, and the people, who over generations, created a multitude of new projects and brought prosperity to the region. For more information on Dimensions of Marble, visit www.dimensionsofmarble.org or e-mail Megan Smith, executive director at info@dimensionsofmarble.org.

President Calvin Coolidge lays a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Nov. 25, 1925.http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20091030/FEATURES11/910300309