Kokomo, Indiana · Established 1947

Three generations of one Indiana family.

Caldwell Monument Company was started by Don Caldwell in 1947. His grandsons, Tony and Troy, run it now. The engraving is done at our own works on State Road 18.

See the work Talk to someone

Black granite upright memorial with a rock pitched base, standing in Mount Hope Cemetery, Peru, Indiana

If it does not have the Caldwell Monument Company name on it, we are not the company doing the work for you.

Our own words, and the reason we put our name on the door and on every piece of paperwork.

If you are just starting

You do not need to know anything yet.

Most families arrive with nothing decided. That is the normal way to arrive. Tell us the cemetery, and where in it, and we will take the next part from there.

We keep most of the local cemeteries' information on file, so their rules about size, placement and whether vases are allowed are our problem to sort out, not yours.

And when it comes to what it costs, we would rather ask what your budget is and work inside it than show you something you were never going to buy.

A Caldwell Monument Company designer working at his desk in the Kokomo office — Designing at the Kokomo office.

What we make

Granite is our primary material, because it lasts the longest.

Upright monuments, slants, flat and bevel markers, benches, cremation memorials, columbariums, mausoleums, and civic work for the towns we live in.

Black granite upright memorial with a rock pitched base in Mount Hope Cemetery, Peru

Uprights, slants and markers

A granite blank waiting beside the hoist at the Kokomo works

Engraved at our own works

A Caldwell designer working on a memorial at the Kokomo office

Designed with you

The Caldwell Monument Company Logansport branch office

Three offices, come in

Recent work

Every one of these is standing in an Indiana cemetery right now.

Photographed where they were set, not in a showroom. Uprights, slants, benches, mausoleums and civic memorials, all cut, carved and engraved at our own works.

Black granite upright memorial with a cross, an epitaph and a rock pitched base, standing in Mount Hope Cemetery, Peru, Indiana — **Black granite upright.** Rock pitched base, a line of scripture, a cross set between the two given names, and the marriage date carved on a ribbon. Mount Hope Cemetery, Peru.

Grey granite companion upright memorial with joined wedding rings, a rock pitched base and two matching granite vases, Crownland Cemetery — **Companion upright, figured grey.** Joined wedding rings, a marriage ribbon, and a pair of matching granite vases set into the base. Crownland Cemetery.

Grey granite upright memorial with an angel carved in deep relief along one side and a draped shoulder, with a matching granite vase — **Carved angel, grey granite.** The angel is cut in deep relief out of the stone itself, wing tips standing proud of the face, with the drape carried over the shoulder and a turned vase on the base.

Polished black granite companion memorial cut as a large open ring, with two praying hands pillars either side — **Cut to a shape.** A companion memorial worked as a single open ring in polished black granite, flanked by two vase pillars etched with praying hands.

Woodgrain granite memorial cut as a flame and split down the middle around a standing bronze cross — **Flame cut in two.** Woodgrain granite shaped as a flame and split down the centre, with a bronze cross standing in the gap and scripture carved down the inner edge.

Two red granite tablets set apart so the gap between them forms a cross, with a laser etched portrait and carved lilies — **A cross made of daylight.** Two tablets of figured red granite set apart so the space between them reads as a cross, with carved lilies, a laser etched portrait and an epitaph along the sub base.

Black granite upright memorial with an aerial view of a farm laser etched across the full face, with two black granite vases — **The whole farm, etched.** An aerial view of the home place laser etched across the full face of black granite, fields, drive and outbuildings all in, on a rock pitched base with two vases.

Black granite memorial cut to the silhouette of a tractor, standing on a polished black base with two vases — **Sawn to a silhouette.** Black granite cut to the outline of a tractor, right down to the tread and the cab glass, standing on a polished base between two urns.

Grey granite slant marker with a steam locomotive etched above the lettering, with a companion flat marker in front — **Slant marker, grey granite.** A steam locomotive etched above the lettering, with a small companion flat marker set in the grass in front of it. Frankfort.

Rough hewn boulder shaped memorial in figured red granite with a polished oval face and a carved rose — **Left rough on purpose.** Figured red granite worked as a boulder, with only an oval on the face polished back for the lettering and a carved rose between the two names. Galveston.

Tall grey granite obelisk on a stepped base standing under an oak tree at the edge of a cemetery — **Obelisk, grey granite.** A tall four sided shaft on a stepped base, names on the die and scripture carved round the bottom step. Set under an oak at the field edge.

Low mahogany granite ledger memorial with a moulded top slab, standing alone in an open cemetery — **Ledger in mahogany granite.** A low bedstead form with a moulded cap over a recessed panel, the surname cut large and a Masonic square and compasses above one name.

Two person granite mausoleum with a grey granite shell, fluted corner columns and a polished black front panel — **Two person mausoleum.** A grey granite shell with fluted corner columns and a moulded cap, the front closed with a polished black panel carrying carved dogwood and a marriage ribbon.

Black granite memorial bench with harp shaped curved legs and two doves etched on the seat — **Bench on harp legs.** Polished black granite, the legs curved to a harp profile, with two doves and a spray etched on the seat and the surname cut across the front edge.

Black granite memorial bench with a rock pitched apron, etched dogwood and a bronze US Army veteran medallion — **Bench with a veteran medallion.** A polished top over a rock pitched apron, dogwood etched either side of an inset bronze US Army veteran medallion.

Blue grey granite memorial bench with a full back, arms, etched wedding rings and a small trade emblem — **Coach bench, bahama blue.** A full back and shaped arms cut from figured blue grey granite, with wedding rings etched at the centre and a small trade emblem in the corner.

Between the three offices there are far more shapes, sizes and granite colours than we can put on a screen, and the Kokomo yard holds the largest selection of the three. If there is a stone somewhere you liked the look of, tell us the name on it and the cemetery, and we will go and look at it.

Civic work

Some of it belongs to a whole county, not one family.

Veterans memorials, halls of honour, walls, plazas and public benches. The same granite and the same hands, on work that has to stand up to a courthouse lawn and everybody who walks past it.

Black granite veterans memorial obelisk topped with a bronze eagle, standing on a brick walk in front of the Tipton County courthouse — **Tipton County Veterans Memorial.** A black granite shaft carrying the service seals in bronze, topped with an eagle, set at the head of an engraved brick walk on the courthouse lawn.

Close view of an engraved memorial brick in the courthouse walk, cut with a name, rank and years of service — **One brick in that walk.** Each paver is cut with a name, a rank and the years served, and laid into the path so people walk it every day. Sandblasted to hold the letter for good.

White brick memorial wall carrying a large round bronze plaque and a painted United States Marine Corps seal — **Memorial wall and bronze.** A cast bronze plaque recessed into brick, with the Marine Corps seal in full colour on the return wall. Howard County.

Carved granite Hall of Honor lintel set flush into a red brick wall, letters cut deep and left unpainted — **Hall of Honor lintel.** Figured red granite set flush into the brick course, the letters cut deep in a Roman face and left unpainted so the shadow does the reading. Grissom.

Black granite public bench with a full back, carrying a laser etched portrait of a dog and an inscription — **A bench for a town's dog.** Laser etched portrait across the back panel with the story cut beside it, on a polished black bench set on a granite pad. City of Kokomo.

Two black granite memorial benches with curved legs set on a brick plaza at the courthouse — **Benches on the plaza.** Polished black granite with curved legs, lettered along the seat edge in white, set straight onto the brick so they will not move.

Two grey granite benches with curved legs set on a concrete pad in a park beside a blue spruce — **Park benches, grey granite.** A pair set on a poured pad at an American Legion park, cut heavy enough to sit outdoors untouched for a lifetime. Burlington.

The Kokomo premises with finished monuments of several granite colours standing in the display yard outside — **The yard at Kokomo.** Uprights, slants and benches standing outside the building in black, grey, mahogany and red, so you can see the colours in daylight before you choose.

Where the work happens

We do our own work, and only our own work.

We buy the granite in the shape you have chosen, and then everything that makes it yours is done by us: the engraving, the etching, the medallions, the vases.

We do not do the work for cemeteries or funeral homes, and they do not do ours. So if you would rather cut out the middle man, come and see us, and know the work is being done right here.

Of our three offices, Kokomo holds the largest inventory: numerous shapes, sizes and colours. What is standing in the yard is a sample of what granite can do, not the limit of it.

A Caldwell Monument Company worker operating the hoist at the Kokomo works, with a granite blank waiting beside him — The hoist at the Kokomo works.

How it works

Four steps, and nothing is cut until you have signed off on it.

Tell us where

Which cemetery, and where in it. That decides the size and shape you are allowed. We have most cemeteries' regulations on file, and if we do not, we will find out.

We design it with you

In person, by phone or by email, whichever suits you. Colour, shape, size, the lettering, the emblems, whether it should match another stone already in the family.

You approve the drawing

We give you a detailed computerised design and a quote. Check the names and the dates carefully. Nothing goes into production until that drawing is signed, and it is cut exactly as shown.

We set it and tell you

We order or pour the foundation, then install the memorial. You are notified when it is in place. If you want to follow it through the process, ask us at signing and we will keep you posted.

From signing the purchase agreement to the memorial standing in the cemetery is usually two to three months. Granite ordered from overseas can add about four more. Weather decides the rest, particularly the foundation, which generally cannot be poured in an Indiana winter.

The Caldwell Monument Company Logansport branch office, a sage green building with the company name over the door — Our Logansport office, across from Mount Hope Cemetery. The plaque beside the door reads 1889.

1947, and 1889

Two histories, one family running them.

Don Caldwell started the company in 1947, and moved it to the State Road 18 intersection when US 31 became a four lane highway. Before that we were a mile or two further north. His grandsons Tony and Troy own it now, the third generation of the family, and both of them grew up in the shop.

In 2015 we bought the Logansport property and its equipment. Monument work has been done on that spot since the Billman family opened the original Billman Monument Company there in 1889. It changed hands several times before it came to us. We redecorated it, and put our name on the door.

We are a member of the American Institute of Commemorative Art, an elite group in this industry, and some of our designs have been recognised among them. We have had one of the country's Certified Memorialists on staff for more than 28 years.

Questions families ask

The things nobody tells you.

How long does it take?

Usually about two to three months from the time you sign the purchase agreement to the memorial being placed in the cemetery.

What moves that number:

Whether the material is in our inventory or has to come from overseas, which can add about four months
How involved the design is. Drawing your farm or your father's portrait takes longer than lettering, and so does every round of changes
The foundation. Some cemeteries pour their own, some let us do it, and the weather decides when
Sandblasting and etching the design into the stone
Placing it. Temperature matters

My family member was cremated. Can we still have a memorial in the cemetery?

Yes. A memorial in the cemetery gives you somewhere to go, and it matters later for anyone tracing the family.

Whether the cremains are buried at the memorial, placed within the memorial itself, or kept elsewhere is up to you. Check with the cemetery for their specific regulations. The process is the same either way.

Can you match a stone that is already there?

Yes, if the material is still available we can match the colour of a memorial already standing in the cemetery. It means going out to look at it in person so we can verify the colour before you buy anything.

Can you add a date after someone has passed?

Yes. We can put the final date on a memorial after it has been set in the cemetery.

Two things to know. That work was not included in the price of the memorial when it was bought. And it may have been included in the price of the funeral, so check the itemised list. If it was, have the funeral home contact us and we will get it done.

It takes four to six weeks, and we need the order form signed to confirm exactly what is to be engraved.

Should we add a name to an older family memorial?

We can do it. We do not always think it is the right answer.

An ancestor's memorial was not designed to carry more names, and adding them can take something away from the original. There are usually alternatives, and we work them out case by case with the cemetery's rules in mind.

How do I clean a memorial?

Lots of water. A soft bristle scrub brush, a willing arm, and a gentle soap. Then rinse with lots more water. Nothing harsher than that.

I live in another state. Can you still make the memorial?

Yes, and we do it regularly. With the technology we have now it is entirely workable at a distance, so long as the cemetery is one we can reach.

If I put your address into a GPS, will it bring me to you?

Use 3047 West State Road 18, Bunker Hill, IN. We have found that address brings people to the Kokomo location accurately. We are on US 31 between Peru and Kokomo, in southern Miami County, at the State Road 18 intersection.

What should I bring, or have ready?

Nothing is required, but these are the things we will end up asking about:

The names and dates as they should appear
The cemetery, and the location within it
Whether a concrete foundation is already there, and its size
Whether we are matching or coordinating with another family memorial
Any faith, occupation or hobby that should be on it
High quality photographs, if you want a ceramic or etched portrait
Whether the person was a US veteran

Three offices

Kokomo, Tipton and Logansport.

Walk-ins are welcome during regular hours, but people with appointments are seen first, so it is worth calling ahead rather than waiting in line.

Kokomo

Main office and engraving works

3047 West State Road 18
Kokomo, IN 46901
(765) 459-8480

Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Evenings and weekends by appointment

Troy Caldwell, general manager
Ruth Caldwell, office manager

Tipton

Open since April 2013

(765) 675-2122
Call Gary for an appointment.

Monday to Thursday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Evenings and weekends by request only

Gary Tilley, branch office manager
Here since October 2018

Logansport

Across from Mount Hope Cemetery

1137 Pleasant Hill
Logansport, Indiana
(574) 753-2394

Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Evenings and weekends by request only

Kim Brooks, family service

Talk to us

Ask us anything, the price included.

What a memorial costs depends on its size, the granite, and how much lettering, carving and etching it carries. Tell us roughly what you have in mind and what you can spend, and we will work inside it.

Or come to Kokomo and stand in front of the stones. There are more shapes, sizes and colours in that yard than we can put on a screen.

Kokomo, main office
3047 West State Road 18, Kokomo, IN 46901
(765) 459-8480 · toll free 1-800-551-3837
office@caldwellmonument.com