I had the pleasure of meeting David and his wife, Renee, at an event hosted at the Community Hall in Halifax, Vermont.
The headstone he is carving is that of the grandson of the Otis family. (This is the family of the man who invented the Otis elevator.) The grandson only lived six years. David had removed the original headstone in order to chisel the information into the stone again. David believes his carving will last another 100 years.
I encourage you to become better acquainted with David and Renee. They live in Pumpkintown, South Carolina. This is his website: https://pumpkintownprimitives.com/pumpkintown-primitives
He also has a YouTube channel. If you type in Pumpkintown Primitives, you’ll find him. Great content I’m sure you will enjoy. I have subscribed to his channel because I like to watch his videos.
From David Gillespie’s Website:
“Biographical Sketch
David’s has been carving slate gravestones since 2003. Having been trained person to person he has gained commissions as far North as Connecticut and as far South as Edisto Island South Carolina. He has been commissioned for stones to go into Historic, Private and Modern Cemeteries. He has been commissioned for works in Municipalities, The Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC, and Drayton Hall Plantation, Charleston SC.
David has been selected as one of America’s Best Craftsmen, & Listed in Early American Life Magazine, in the Directory of Traditional American Crafts, where the judges are Museum Curators, and Historic Material Culture Professionals from all across the US.
David uses only the best slate which is monument grade and listed as unfading. Colors for monuments can be Blue Black, Green or Purple.
David’s work is heavily influenced by 18th century original stones that yields timeless designs. He has carefully studied techniques proven over the centuries to produce pleasing effects carved into stone…
David’s book “A Brief Treatise on Tomb and Grave Stones of the 18th Century” is perfect as a “design catalog” for you to gain many ideas for your own stone project. $19.99…”-https://pumpkintownprimitives.com/hand-carved-slate-stones