03/20/2020
The Monumental Bronze Company, was based out of Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1874-1914. You’ve seen their monuments in cemeteries in Arkansas and not known this “white bronze” is pure cast zinc. Their monuments are bluish gray in color, very detailed and have proven to hold up well over time. The monument is hollow- even though it is constructed from metal. The primary flaw is the bases tend to “creep” or bow over time because of the overall weight. Here is a link to one of their catalogs (134 pages) that shows over 500 choices: https://archive.org/details/Whitebronzemonu00Monu/page/n3/mode/2up
The original casting was done at the Bridgeport foundry. The foundries and assembly plants were in Chicago, Des Moines, Detroit, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and St. Thomas, Canada. Each plant would place their name on the base of the monument to show where it had been assembled. In 1914, the company facilities were used to make gun mounts and munitions for World War I. The company eventually declared bankruptcy in 1939, but their work is still around today.
Hope you enjoyed this post on “white bronze”!