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Throwback Thursday: Reagan Monument Company
By Eric D. Tudor
Before downtown was bustling with boutiques and coffee shops, before most folks today were even born, there was a quiet little business serving families through some of life’s hardest moments. Not a funeral home, but something just as meaningful. Reagan Marble and Granite Company.
Founded by William F. Reagan, the business got its start near the corner of 2nd and Jefferson, where the drive-thru for First State Community Bank sits today. William was born in 1863 during the middle of the Civil War and married Delia Winston around 1880. Not much is known about his early training, but it is likely he learned the trade back east before heading west along the railroad. By 1886, the couple had made Lebanon home.
At the time, most gravestones were simple and handmade. Sometimes just a flat rock, sometimes a rough carving by a family friend. William’s work brought something new to the area. It was refined, permanent, and carried a sense of dignity. One of the most striking examples, though unmarked by name, is the towering stone for Missouri Governor Joseph McClurg, buried in Lebanon City Cemetery just before Christmas in 1900.
William, or Will as he was known, ran the shop for decades until his passing in 1945 at the age of 82. It is believed his son George made his father’s headstone, keeping with tradition. After Will’s death, George took over and later moved the business to West Elm Street in the mid 1950s, where it continued for a time.
Delia passed away just two years after her husband. While the business eventually closed, the legacy remains. You can still see the stones they created in cemeteries all across Laclede County.
