Apparaturs and Method for Supporting Headstones

Abstract

An apparatus for supporting headstones, including a rigid structure situated below the surface of the ground, and a plurality of sockets formed in the top of the rigid structure, wherein each of the sockets is formed to receive the lower end of a headstone and hold the headstones in an aligned position with respect to one another and with respect to the surface of the ground.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for supporting headstones, comprising:
 a rigid structure situated below the surface of the ground; and   a plurality of sockets formed in the top of the rigid structure, wherein each of the sockets is formed to receive the lower end of a headstone and hold the headstones in an aligned position with respect to one another and with respect to the surface of the ground.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus for supporting headstones, comprising:
 a plurality of blocks situated below the surface of the ground, wherein each block is held in a fixed alignment with respect to one another and with respect to the surface of the ground; and   a socket formed in the top of each block, each of the sockets being formed to receive the lower end of one of the headstones and holding the headstones in an aligned position with respect to one another and with respect to the surface of the ground.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the blocks are permanently encased in a rigid structure and are thereby affixed and aligned to one another, wherein an upper surface of the rigid structure is lower than the upper surface of the block. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the block is formed from cast concrete. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the rigid structure is formed from poured concrete. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the socket is larger than a headstone received therein creating a gap between the headstone and the socket and wherein the gap is filled with a leveling material. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the leveling material is sand. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the rigid structure includes one or more columns extending from the bottom of the rigid structure into the ground. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the socket includes a drain. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the drain comprises one or more holes in the bottom of the socket, the holes passing through the lower surface of the rigid structure and the block. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for supporting a headstone comprising a rigid structure situated below the surface of the ground with a socket formed in the top of the rigid structure wherein the socket is formed to receive the lower end of the headstone and hold the headstone in an aligned position with respect to the surface of the ground. 
     
     
         12 . A method for fabricating an apparatus for supporting headstones comprising the steps of:
 digging a trench;   installing a base material along the length and width of the trench;   placing blocks on top of the base material, wherein a socket is formed in the top of each block, each socket being formed to receive the lower end of a headstone, the upper surface of the blocks being below the surface of the ground;   aligning the blocks at a desired location for the placement of headstone and rigidly fixing the location of each block relative to each other, and to the trench, and to the surface of the ground;   placing a headstone in each socket; and   backfilling soil in the trench thereby covering the blocks and rigid structure   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the socket is larger than a headstone received therein creating a gap between the headstone and the socket, further comprising the step of:
 filling the gap with a leveling material.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the leveling material is sand. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the aligning and rigidly fixing the location of each block comprises encasing the blocks in a rigid material. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the encasing consists of pouring a continuous concrete structure around the blocks filling the trench such that the upper surface of the poured concrete structure is lower than the upper surface of the blocks. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein holes for one or more columns are drilled in the trench floor before installing a base material, and wherein the encasing material fills the holes and thereby forms columns extending downwardly from trench floor into the ground beneath. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the aligning of the blocks to one another comprises the steps of affixing rebar between the blocks. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the base material is gravel. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 12  wherein the headstones have similar dimensions, and are laid out in a straight line, and are spaced the same distance from one another, and protrude a similar height from the ground as each other. 
     
     
         21 . A method for supporting headstones comprising the steps of:
 leveling each headstone; and digging a trench;   installing a base material along the length and width of the trench;   installing a leveling material along the length and width of the trench;   placing each headstone in the leveling material;   backfilling soil in the trench thereby covering the leveling material.