stonecutter

Where we worked: Wilson Marble & Granite Company.

Freddie Sauls‘ death certificate reveals that he, like Clarence B. Best, worked for a marble company in Wilson.

City directories show that Sauls and Turner Mitchell were employed as stone polishers as early as 1912. They likely worked for E.L. Cobb’s Wilson Marble and Granite Company (also known circa 1920 as Wilson Marble, Mantle & Tile), which was established in 1908 and succeeded J.C. Lanier’s Wilson Marble Company, which was active as early as 1891. Cobb’s business operated at 108 West Nash Street, then 106 North Railroad.

Wilson Mirror, 23 December 1891.

When Clarence Best registered for the World War I draft, he described himself as a stone rubber at Wilson Marble Mantle & Tile Company and, by 1920, as a marble cutter. Within a few years, Best was designing and cutting headstones for African-American clients as a side gig. In 1946, after 32 years with E.L. Cobb, Best opened his own monument business.

Though not a stone cutter, William J. Brake also worked for Wilson Marble, listing his occupation as driver in the 1928 Wilson city directory.

Wilson Times, 21 October 1921.

B.W.A. Historical Marker Series, no. 28: East Nash Street Monument Company.

In this series, which will post on occasional Wednesdays, I populate the landscape of Wilson County with imaginary “historical markers” commemorating people, places, and events significant to African-American history or culture.

We been here.

EAST NASH STREET MONUMENT COMPANY

Clarence B. Best began cutting marble and granite headstones in 1914 and in 1946 established his own monument company in his backyard at 1306 East Nash St. Known for his distinctive font, deep cuts, stylized plant motifs, and use of recycled material, thousands of Best’s headstones can be found in Wilson and surrounding counties.

Wilson Daily Times, 13 October 1945.

 

A surprise in Black Creek Cemetery.

I did a quick tour of Black Creek’s tidy little cemetery. As noted earlier, historically it was not open to burials of African-Americans, but I had this unexpected encounter while there:

A Clarence B. Best monument!

Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another headstone Best carved for a white customer, but I am not surprised that he welcomed the trade. (Note that Inez S. Holland’s death date was hand-cut in Best’s style 15 years after he died.)

Fine cemetery memorials!

Nearly all grave markers from the last 40 years or so are machine-cut, their lettering precise and even and utterly predictable. In Wilson County’s African-American cemeteries, however, even a casual perusal of older markers reveals artisanal work, almost always anonymous. Though there are many hand-cut styles, one repeatedly snags the eye with its distinctive font — squared letters with flared serifs and, especially, 9’s with long, pointed tails. These carvings are the work of marble cutter Clarence Benjamin Best, who chiseled stars, crosses, flowers, lambs, and Masonic emblems, as well as grammatically idiosyncratic epitaphs, into slabs of stone for more than 50 years. I have found his work in rural Wilson County cemeteries and as far afield as Wayne, Edgecombe, and Greene Counties, but Rest Haven Cemetery is the ground zero of his oeuvre.

Best got his start as a marble cutter at Wilson Marble Mantle & Tile Company on North Railroad Street. By the early 1920s, he was designing and cutting headstones for African-American clients as a side gig. Operating from a backyard workshop, Best worked at every price point, often repurposing scrap stone or headstone seconds to create custom monuments that collectively testify to his skill and endless creativity. He opened his own business in 1946, advertising FINE CEMETERY MEMORIALS, and worked another 30 years.

As a tribute to this unsung vernacular artist, I’ve set out to photograph every monument I can attribute to Clarence B. Best and will feature his stand-out pieces in a dedicated Instagram account. Stay tuned.

Behold the Lamb of God. Clarence B. Best’s work is well-represented in Saint Delight Cemetery, near Walstonburg, Greene County, North Carolina.