The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-04-06
LIGHTNING DESTROYED
GRANITE MONUMENT
Which Had Been Erected BY James S
Mccutcheon at Cost 81 $4,000
il centerviIle, Pa, Cemetery.


II centeryiIIe, Pa, Cemetery,
Lightning has struck and ruined 81
q the most unique monuments in tn
United States, q towering shaft )
1 Barre granite, s6ia feet hign, whicI
stands within 4 miles Of tho birthplace
% James q. Blaine, III the Taylo
cemetery al Ccnteryille, Pa, the mouu
mcnt marking the resting place .
James $. MsCutclleon, in accordana
with the terms Of his viii and eratif,
bis ambition to Guido all HIS neighbour
and to prevent any Of BIS relatives from
getting any Of his estate after hi
death, says Granite, Marble and Bronze
Ono side Of tile monument was torn
completely away BY the lightning on,
AS no fund was left for repairing til,
monument, This imposing shaft, costing
about $4,000, erected TO crafty per
sonal ambition and selfish grudge,
against relatives, viii remain neglect
Ell wreck.
AIcCutcheon, who died iii 1908, deter
mined several years before his death
that every cent of his entire fortune 81
$4,000 should 60 into monument ID
mark hts grave, and for q number q
years he worked to that end and per-
sonally looked after all the arrange.
nlents for the monument.
nv hard and strict economy McClIt.
chfeon accumulated a considerable for
time. He never married, but for many
years lived alone and carried on iis
farming operations. His parents died
years ago, and his only relative was 4
sister, Mrs. Stacker, with whom lie mad
some differences, 30 that he did not de-
sire 70 leave her any Of his property.
Nearly eight years before his death,
and when he was only fifty-threo
years 81 age, McCutcheon made prepare
tions for a handsome monument to be
erected after his death, and in Septem-
her, 1895, gave Bis order To Inonu-
ment firm Of Brownsville, Pa, for the
work
About two years later McCutcheon in-
structed the monument men to 60 ahead
two bases. McCutcheon took great
interest in the monument all along and
selected the material and design. The
foundation was started in 1897 and i
Of solid concrete IL feet deep. The bor-
tom base was also started at~e that
time and Is "a feet square. These were
completed before AicCutcheon's iatk.
and he expressed satisfaction over the
start that had been made, and be made
payments as the work progressed.
4 he will Of AicCutcheon was prepared
with great care "a provide against It's
being contested, and lie directed that
after his death his farm be sold. and the
slnn OF $4,000 should be applied 10 his
monument, and after all debts wore
paid the money remaining was to 20 IN
to granite wall around the monument,
which was To be built al high Az the
money would permit The executors
were to have three years To settle the
estate, SO that none Of his dshtors
would be pushed.
When all the accounts we've settled
there was over $4,000 for Tho wall.
til, design for which was drawn up by
the monument men and accepted hv
Aetufctenn during his lifetime. The
wall was built around the lot, which ii
50 feet square, and small monument
was placed at the four corners. The
result WAS q monument S6ia feet high.
standing on an eminenee near the 9TH
national pike, where it can be plainly
seen By all travellers
Tie monument has FIVE bases the
bottom one "a feet square. and the
others set in, each about 2 feet from the
one beneath i'll The bases altogether
reach a height Of ~ feet. and on top
of them il the die, which il 8 feet
square and 40 feet long and weighs a5
tons, heing all IN one place. Then
comes the shaft, which Is in seven see.
tions and towers mp 64la feet above he
die, being I feet square at the base ANA
2 feet az the top, the pinnacle running
to point.
The entire monument weighed about
500 tons and was built Of Barre granite
from Vermont It required twenty
four horses TO haul tile die, weighing Is
tons from Brownsville to the cemetery.
four miles. and IT required derrick
100 feet high 10 set the parts IN place
Oh the top Of the shaft
In talking with the monument msn
and others about The shaft to mark his
resting place, McCutclleon said Ia had
earned his money BY hard work and lid
not propose to leave it to others to get
without effort on their part, ami SO lie
for a monument himself iie
aid not seem escentric except IN che one
particular ambition to put his fortuna
into a monument. He WIS d good bust
ness man and great reader aud well
informed man. He had also Travelled to
4 considerable extent,
McCutcheon died Of heart trouhls ii
March, 1908. His remains are buried
back of the monument which stands |
ifl tho center 81 his tot. Tile shaft
bears the sole inscription James S |
1s42-1905..