Business time capsule: Miller Monument Co. of McHenry

Small cemeteries still survive along some rural roadsides in McHenry County, and the markers within contain a personal history of many of our earliest residents. Many display detailed portraits of the deceased. Some even show farmsteads. A walk through one of the county’s old cemeteries can reveal both a history of the locality and of the changes which have taken place in the stone cutter’s art. Among three gravestone manufacturers in the county was Miller Monument Co. of McHenry (pictured), which has been providing markers since 1868. They are among the oldest, continuous, family owned businesses in the city of McHenry. Originally founded in Johnsburg by John Henry Mueller, the business is run today by one of his grandsons. While most early markers were made of hand-carved limestone, today granite is the preferred choice. Lasers frequently are used to cut letters and numbers.

– McHenry County Historical Society