David Gillespie has been carving slate gravestones since 2002. Learning the craft in Rhode Island by a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, as well as his native South Carolina from accomplished artists, he feels very blessed by the Lord to be carving the slate stones by hand. He is also a past recipient of a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission. He uses only chisels and mallet, true to the 18th century approach. He and his wife attend re-enactments all across the Eastern United States, demonstrating ??? the old ways and seekeing the old paths.??? David has given slate stone cutting demonstrations, frequenting French and Indian War sites; Fort Loudoun, Vonore, Tn, Martin???s Station, near Cumberland Gap, Va., Fort Dobbs, Statesville, N.C., Ninety Six, NHS, S.C., Battle of Camden, SC, Middleton Place Plantation, S.C., and the Virginia Highlands Festival in Abigdon, Va. Also David has given a demonstration at the American College of Building Arts, in Charleston, SC, as a part of the Gibbs Museum 1858 Society Series. David is a member of the local Pickens County SC Historical Society, as well as the Association for Gravestone Studies.
David takes custom orders on Slate Tombstones for customers, to mark the final resting place of people whether they have been deceased for over 200 years, or just recently! Some customers even place an order in advance before a stone is needed. Due to the nature of custom hand work like this, a wait time is to be expected. For more information on David???s stonecutting, please refer to www.pumpkintownprimitives.com,
as of this printing. As always things change, so David can be found, likely with an internet word search. David also carves custom signs, plaques, stone bookends, quote stones, reliefs, and has castings available of his carvings at a reasonable rate. David also makes and sells flintlock rifles, but does not take custom orders. He usually scrapes and burnishes the finish on his rifles to look like an original 18th century piece.
Let David Carve a stone for for you and make a bold statement that should last for many years!