Three brothers, one a printer, two were stonemasons, emigrated from Scotland. The printer apprenticed his son, Leslie Alexander Kirkpatrick to his stonemason brother. Leslie eventually migrated to Welland where he met and married widow, Beatrice (Misener) O''Brine.
In 1929, Leslie started L. A. Kirkpatrick & Son in a tiny shop in Fonthill with his then 14-year-old stepson Earle. Many a tale was told about taking potatoes and other goods in exchange form monuments in the lean years of the Great Depression. In the early years, monuments were manufactured from raw quarry slabs. Later, a new shop was built at its present location at the end of Highland Avenue next to Fonthill cemetery. In 1950, "Double Process Carving" and "Steel Shot Sandblasting" were introduced - first time in this area. This process, still used today, produces clearer, sharper lettering and designs, using no paint.

In 1964, in response to a growing demand to the west, expansion began with the opening of our Dunnvil... [Detail]