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FAIRFIELD – Whitney Monument Works in Fairfield is celebrating 150 years in business in 2025, and is now headed by the sixth generation of the Whitney family.

To celebrate this milestone, the business will host a Chamber Business After Hours from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. The public is invited to tour the business located at 605 W. Depot Ave. to learn about its storied history and enjoy light refreshments. Owner Jordan Whitney said the event is not just a celebration of the business but also a way for his family to say “thank you” to the community.

Jordan purchased the business from his father Kent and mother Ronda in January, after Kent had been at the helm since 1991. Today, Kent is mostly retired but helps out in the shop when needed, while Ronda still works for the business as bookkeeper and by staffing its Mt. Pleasant office.

It was not a sure thing that Whitney Monument Works would stay in the family for six generations. Jordan graduated from Fairfield High School in 2014 and later moved to Chicago to pursue a career in acting. To make ends meet, he began working at a restaurant, and that sparked an interest in wine, leading to him becoming a sommelier.

Then the pandemic hit, and the restaurant business was completely upended. Jordan went to work for his dad for what he assumed would be a short stint. He had worked for the business before, during summers in high school where he helped his dad with installations, and he gained more skills this time around from employees such as Matt Nelson. Nelson taught him to use the shop’s tools to make engravings, and Jordan loved it. His perspective on life changed, and he could see a future for himself right here in his hometown working for the family business.

Engraving monuments in the year 2025 uses technologies both new and ancient, from computer designs that create the stencils to a basic hammer and chisel for the finishing touches. Jordan said he felt like he picked up the skills fairly quickly, but noted it takes years to become a proficient craftsman.

The business engraves and installs 200-250 stones per year. In addition to its offices in Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant, it also has sales representatives in Washington at Jones Eden Funeral Home and in Burlington at Wilbert Vault Works.

Whitney is grateful to his parents and all his forefathers who made this business so successful over its century and a half of service. He still uses a sandblasting machine his grandfather Lewis installed in the 1960s.

“I want to keep doing all the things [my forefathers] did to get the business to 150 years, and not to lose that quality or attention to detail,” Jordan said. “I want us to keep that pride in our work and what it means to have a monument carved by the Whitneys.”