By LYN LETSINGER-MILLER, for The Democrat

Casey Winningham of Bloomington is one of a small number of gravestone carvers in the country who work by hand with chisel and mallet. He became interested in the Stone Head marker project because of a growing respect for the man who created it: Henry Cross.

“For many years, my work in recreating 19th century headstones has involved seeking out and photo-documenting over 5,000 headstones in the Southern Indiana area. I have come to recognize the styles of many Indiana carvers. Among the best is Henry Cross,” he said.

“My studies now have focused on Henry’s work. His lettering style is bold and unique. It has a flowing, well-balanced look. The curves are graceful and beautiful. In my letter carving, I use tools that were made in the 19th century. While not completely necessary, they give me a feeling, an inward connection to those carvers who have gone before me.”

Winningham didn’t start out as a gravestone carver. He spent much of his life as an artist-blacksmith. He became fascinated by old cemeteries and began documenting stones that were in danger of being lost. Soon, he learned how to restore them using the old techniques. People began asking him to create stones for new graves.

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Winningham said modern machine carving typically creates a rounded groove bottom that doesn’t have the same light play as the hand carved work. It is the “V-groove” that creates the shadows. He now teaches the old techniques to others.

Carving stone puts him at an intersection of history and craft. A visit to the family cemetery as a 10-year-old with his grandfather made an impression. Many of the ancestral graves were marked with just fieldstone. He knew those names would be lost, including that of his grandfather.

He has now carved headstones for those graves, giving back a name to those who are buried there.

“I’m leaving something for many generations to come,” he said.