American Monument& Granite Co.
(330) 325-2500
American Monument& Granite Co.
(330) 325-2500
The plain talk we’d give you across the counter — what families ask us most about choosing a memorial, what the cemetery will allow, caring for a stone that is already standing, and planning ahead.
Every memorial is custom, so price depends on the size, granite, and detail you choose. We work with a wide range of budgets and will always give you a clear, honest quote up front, with no pressure. Many families are surprised at how affordable a beautiful, lasting tribute can be.
From your first visit to setting the stone, most monuments take roughly 8–12 weeks, depending on the design, granite availability, and cemetery foundation schedules. We'll give you a realistic timeline at your consultation and keep you updated at every stage.
Absolutely. We regularly match granite color, shape, and lettering style to a companion or family stone that's already in place. Bring us a photo and the cemetery details and we'll make sure the new memorial belongs right alongside it.
Traditional upright monuments for one name, two, or a whole family; slant, bevel and flat markers, including bronze, for the sections that permit nothing taller; solid granite memorial benches; and cremation memorials for urn-ready stones and cremation gardens. All of it is designed with you and finished by hand in our own shop in Ravenna. The gallery is the honest way to see the range.
There is no wrong answer — granite in every color is remarkably durable, and the choice comes down to the look you want and how the inscription will read. Gray is the classic American cemetery stone. Black takes the highest polish and is the only color we recommend for laser-etched portraits. Red, mahogany, rose and pink carry warmth that stands out in a cemetery full of gray. Our guide to granite headstone colors walks through each one.
Most inscriptions are built from a handful of standard parts: the name, the dates, a relationship line, an epitaph, and any emblems beside them. You do not need all of them — some of the most striking monuments in any cemetery carry only a family name. The words that work best are almost never elaborate. Our guide on what to write on a headstone covers the whole inscription in the order it actually gets decided.
Yes. We add inscription dates for surviving spouses, clean and restore weathered stones, and repair monuments that have settled or been damaged. If it's granite or marble, we can almost certainly help.
Usually, yes, and most routine cleaning needs nothing more than water, a soft brush, and patience. The rule that matters is: when in doubt, use less. Never scrub a stone that is cracked, flaking, or unstable on its base, and never reach for bleach or a pressure washer — almost everything that ruins a headstone is something someone applied to it on purpose. Read how to clean a headstone safely first, and if the stone needs more than a wash, that is what our restoration work is for.
Yes. Adding an inscription or a second date to a monument already set is ordinary work for us, and it is done at the cemetery rather than by moving the stone. It is one of the most common things families call us about.
We do. We set stones in cemeteries across Portage, Summit, and Stark Counties, from Ravenna and Kent west to Akron and south to Canton. We know their rules and foundation requirements, and we handle the permits and coordination so you don't have to.
Portage, Summit, and Stark Counties, from our shop in Ravenna. Akron is about fifteen miles west and Canton about twenty-five miles southwest, and we work in cemeteries across all three counties. If you are in Kent, we have a page about the cemeteries there specifically.
We do. We ask the cemetery what it permits, file what needs filing, pour or arrange the foundation to that cemetery’s requirement, and set the stone ourselves. If the memorial you have in mind is not allowed where they are buried, you will hear it from us early, while it is still easy to change.
It helps, because granite color and finish look different in daylight than they do on a screen, and there is never any obligation attached to walking in. But it is not required. We can start the design from a phone call and send proofs to you. The showroom is at 4869 S. Prospect St., Ravenna, open Monday to Friday 9:30am–4:30pm, and evenings and weekends by appointment — get in touch and we will find a time.
Many families choose to. Pre-planning lets you make these decisions thoughtfully and relieves loved ones of the burden later. We're glad to help you plan ahead at your own pace, with no obligation.
A bare grave in the first months is completely normal, and the timeline at work is there to protect the monument you are waiting for. A stone cannot be set until a concrete footer has been poured, and in Ohio that work runs with the season — cemeteries generally begin pouring in the spring and stop just before winter. Cemeteries also set their own rules about when a stone may go on a new grave. Our guide on how long a headstone takes explains what happens during that wait.
Deciding on the memorial ahead of time, calmly, with the person it will honor still part of the conversation — the industry calls it a pre-need purchase. The stone is designed, cut and inscribed with the final date left open, to be engraved later. Neither path is wrong and we treat every family the same whichever door they come through. Our guide to pre-planning a headstone covers what you decide now and what happens if your plans later change.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide a headstone or marker for an eligible veteran at no cost, and many families do not know it. The benefit covers the marker itself. What it does not cover, in a private cemetery, is the setting of the stone, and that is the part we help with. Eligibility rules can change, so always confirm the current details with the VA — our guide on how to get a free VA marker is the plain-language version of the process.
No question about a memorial is a silly one, and we would rather answer it now than have you guess. Whether the cemetery will allow the stone you have in mind, whether a name can still be added to one already standing, what the granite will actually look like in daylight — call the shop or send it in writing and you will get a straight answer.
If you would rather read first, the Insights guides go into more depth on colors, inscriptions, cleaning, timelines, pre-planning, and veterans’ markers. And the gallery shows what the work actually looks like.
When you’re ready, our family is here to help yours, with patience, care, and no obligation.
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