Museum 75th Anniversary

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Sproatt Mausoleum

The Sproatt Mausoleum at the Corydon Cemetery is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Corydon, Iowa .


Plans for the monument began in 1897 according to this newspaper article in the Wayne County Democrat, September 2, 1897:

Niday & Pinkham on Monday contracted with W.S. Sproatt to build for him a vault on his lots in the Corydon cemetery. The vault will be 15x13x17 high, and built of the celebrated Bedford Armadite stone, trimmed with Quincy granite and Sutherland Falls Marble. The inside will be all marble with tiled floor, alternating black and white, and will contain six catacombs. The vault will stand four steps from the ground and the roof will be supported on the front with solid granite columns with engraved caps. Mr. Pinkham informs us that when completed it will be the finest vault in the state, and hardly second to none. The cost will be about $2,000 which includes a stone walk around the lot.


The following photos were taken during the construction. These photos are in the library at The Prairie Trails Museum.



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The Sproatt Mausoleum on a snowy day 

Future blog posts will feature the Sproatt family.

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