Amy Porter Stone Finished

A re-creation of the historic fieldstone gravemarker of Amy Porter.

We are happy to report that the Amy Porter stone has been finished and set.  One of the happy results of this project was finding the initials J and B under the mortar, suggesting that Amy’s infant twins (Jacob and Benjamin) were buried with her.  Previously, their location in the cemetery was unknown.  Stop by and ask one of the knowledgeable interpreters to tell you about Amy Porter and her life.   

We endeavored to re-create the historic look of the original fieldstone grave marker as best we could.   It was just a little piece of  limestone, possibly gathered along the river near where Mormon Bridge is now. 

This was a fun project, which taught me a lot about a part of Nebraska history I knew nothing about.

Amy Porter: An Early Mormon Pioneer

Currently, I’m working to conserve the last legible original gravestone at Winter Quarters in Omaha: a stopping place along the Mormon trail.   It served as a wintering over place for probably thousands of immigrants as they made their way west in the 1800′s, having come from all over the world, in search of religious freedom.  The stone is just a common fieldstone which was lovingly carved to mark the last resting place of an early pioneer woman.  Once it has been cleaned, it will take it’s place in the museum at Winter Quarters.   As soon as this important piece of LDS history is safe, a similar fieldstone will be carved to mark the grave of Amy Porter.

Help us save history, one stone at a time.

Welcome to the Stone Angels Project blog.  The Stone Angels Project is a national nonprofit, currently conveniently located in Mid America, Lincoln, Nebraska.  We’re hoping to find a home in a community in New England or elsewhere where we would be among lots of old gravestones and the people who love them. 

But we are aware that there are old gravestones all over our country, and we expect to have a mobile headquarters on the road soon to keep us in touch with all of our nationwide members. 

Until we have our funding arm in place, we are available to repair and/or restore damaged or vandalized gravestones.  If you have any questions about how we can help, please get in touch with Shannon Nolte at shannon@stoneangels.org