Photos and story courtesy of Sandi Hamilton

One man’s mistake is another man’s lawn ornament…..

     If you have driven on High Street in the Village of Sodus you may have noticed that a cemetery monument stands in the front yard of the home of Denise and Rich DeValk.  Have you ever wondered why it’s there?  Here’s the story…

       Years ago, the DeValks dug up the monument buried in their yard.  They also found pieces of other monuments, but this is not the site of a former graveyard.  An earlier resident, George A. Myers was a monument maker. These may have been “mistakes” from his work.  His father, John W. Myers, had a marble business at 9 Mill Street (now the parking area between the old Piekunka Cleaners’ building and the former Jug’s Tavern).  The father and son were part of the prominent Myers family, well known in this town.  John W. was the father of Dr. J. F. Myers and the grandfather of Dr. F. Linwood Myers. The Myers Community Hospital bore the family name.  John W. and George A. were prominent businessmen in the village.   Before John W. moved to Sodus, he helped to build a portion of the Erie Canal.  George A. was not only known for his skill at marble cutting, he was also known for his acting ability and for his tenor singing voice.  For several years, he was the leader and conductor of both the Sodus Cornet Band and the Myers Orchestra.

      The monument in these photos bore the names of several in the Wood family. Another well-known family in our community.

A view of the monument on the reverse side. Note the gouge that may be why this marble monument was rejected.

The story of George A. Myers from the January 19, 1938 issue of the Record:

Sandi Hamilton found this article that shows the building between the old cleaner’s building and Jug’s Tavern (9 Mill street in Sodus) where Mr. Myers once had the Sodus Marble works.  The building was taken down in 1978, but I am certain many have forgotten the old building.