COVENTRY - On Monday, June 29, the Coventry Town Museum Association's second monthly program devoted to showcasing local artists, past and present, will take place. This year, acclaimed historian Mary H. Dexter will host a presentation about a local gravestone mason.
Jonas W. Stewart II, also known as “The Coffin Man,” was born in the late 1700s and lived in Coventryville. Living there with his father and brother, Stewart began to carve headstones. As he began to travel around the Northeast, he gained title as “The Coffin Man” for his work with headstones. He is widely considered to be the first professional gravestone carver in the Chenango County area.
On Monday, Dexter will discuss the last 30 years of her research on “The Coffin Man” and his work.
