BAUGHMAN MEMORIAL WORKS, INC.
23 South Main Street
Dover, PA

Four generations of the Baughman family of Dover have continued the art of cutting memorials through a century.

During 80 of 100 years there was a “father and son” relationship: Nelson H. and Harry U, Harry U. and Nelson M., and Nelson M. and his son Donald Baughman.

The family has literally seen the business progress from hand cutting to mechanized cutting and transportation by horse and wagon to motor vehicle.

The business is now a family corporation.  Nelson M. Baughman has retired from the business and prior to the retirement of the late Harry Baughman, the last three generations working together were Harry, Nelson and Donald.  It was in 1957 that Nelson really took over the business.  It was incorporated in 1962.

The family recalls that in the early days Nelson H. Baughman, who began the business, transported marble from York by a two horse team.  In those days most monuments were cut from marble and some granite.

All the work was done by hand.  All the memorials had to be cut from rough, unpolished stone.  They were finished with sand.  Sandstones were used as the bases for the marble and granite monuments.

The craftsmen used simple wooden mallets and chisels to carve out their designs.  Many of the tools were made by the Baughman family.

They were still doing the entire cutting by hand when Harry joined his father in the business but later they began using an air compressor for cutting.  Even later, sand- blasting equipment came into use.

A member of the family recalls that their first air compression tool was made by removing a spark plug from an automobile engine and replacing it with a fitting which supplied the pressure for an air hammer.  This was an innovation in its day.

Some of their very early designs are still in possession of the family.  They include many traditional designs used quite often before the turn of the century such as a set of two doves, urn types, wheat designs, a small girl holding a lamb and scrollwork.

Some of the old stones date back to the first generation the business was in operation. They had no automatic chain hoist lifting devices0.  Muscle power was the source of energy.  When a huge stone had to be moved they applied the laws of leverage with rollers and bars.  They used a tripod hoist arrangement to set the stone into place.  They often had to call area farmers for assistance when very large monuments had to be installed.  They frequently had to use a six-horse hitch up to get the job done.

Donald Baughman says the first marble used at the business was imported from Italy.  It came in from the port of entry by rail and his great grandfather used the horse and wagon to bring it from York.

He says that today the majority of the memorials are cut from granite and are transported by area trucking companies to the Dover business.

Most of the granite comes from Vermont, North and South Carolina, Georgia, North Dakota and Minnesota.  A small quantity is also imported from Finland.  A black variety comes from the Philadelphia area and several foreign countries.

From left top row is Nelson H., Harry U., 
Nelson M., and Donald Baughman