Upon visiting the Statehouse in Madison, Wisconsin, the first thing he wanted to know was where the granite came from. “It’s a stone called ‘Bethel White,’” said the tour guide.

From 1902 to 1933, Woodbury Granite Co. received 395 mausoleum and vault orders. In 1917, the company signed a contract for $39,600 worth of Bethel White Granite for the community mausoleum at Forest ...