The John Stevens Shop slate memorial tablet that is mounted at the Newport Historical Society’s headquarters.
Before the days of FTD bouquets and Starbuck’s gift cards, folks found alternative ways to honor the lives of deceased relatives. In 1939, William Congdon Fry commissioned John Howard Benson and the John Stevens Shop to produce a slate memorial tablet in memory of his uncle Alfred Brooks Fry, a civil engineer from New York and one time Mayor of Coronado, California. The Vermont slate stone has approximately 1000 capital Roman letters, hand cut by Benson and inlaid with gold leaf. As directed by the donor, it was mounted on the wall of the Newport Historical Society stairwell leading to the former Marine Museum, which used to occupy the basement. This masterpiece of carving can still be seen from our entrance lobby.