Why Are Headstones Usually Made of Granite?

Walk through a modern cemetery and most of the markers are granite. In older sections you will see other stones, many worn smooth. This article explains why granite became the standard.

What makes granite last?

It is dense and hard. A gravestone conservation site explains that granite is an igneous rock made of interlocking minerals such as quartz and feldspar. Funeral.com says dense, low-porosity stones like granite tend to last better than softer, more porous ones like marble, limestone, and sandstone, which often show deterioration sooner outdoors. It cites the National Park Service as noting that sandstone and limestone are softer and more porous than granite and more vulnerable to weathering.

How do other stones wear?

Each in its own way. The same conservation site says sandstone is easier to carve but often weathers poorly, with layers flaking off. Pure white marble gleams when polished, but after about a decade of weathering the surface becomes pitted and stained, and inscriptions begin to erode. It says slate is extremely durable and holds fine incised details for long periods. Funeralwise, quoting Wired, notes that rocks break down both physically and chemically, which is why marble is not ideal for longevity.

What did people use before granite?

Whatever was local. Funeralwise says early headstones in New England were slate, which was available nearby. A Vermont newspaper account says that by the mid-1800s slate began to be replaced by marble, much of it from quarries near Rutland. Funeralwise adds that marble eroded over time, until the names and details of the dead were hard to read.

Why did granite take over?

Because it became possible to move. The Vermont Historical Society says granite is found in central Vermont and is still quarried in Barre and Bethel. In the late 1800s a railroad was built up to the Barre quarries, which made it easier to move the heavy stone, and a lot of that granite was made into gravestones. Vermont Magazine, by the director of the Vermont Granite Museum, says railroads in the late 1840s helped Barre’s industry grow, and that Barre later became known as the “Granite Center of the World.”

Is granite always the best choice?

Not necessarily. Durability depends on the specific stone, local moisture, and how it was cut and finished. Many cemeteries have rules about materials, so ask before you buy. For choices and costs, see Headstones and Grave Markers. For history, see Why Do We Have Headstones? and What Gravestones Say.