Plaques, Cornerstones and Dedication Stones
Not all lettered stone is a memorial. Buildings, parks and sports grounds use stones and plaques to mark openings, anniversaries and people worth remembering.
Commemorative plaques
A commemorative plaque is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood or another material bearing text or an image to commemorate a person, an event or a former use of a place. Most are fixed to a wall or a stone.
Cornerstones
A cornerstone is, in construction, the first stone set in a masonry foundation, the reference for the rest of the structure. Many buildings carry a ceremonial stone near the base, inscribed with a date or the names of those involved.
Writing for a public stone
- Keep it short. People read plaques standing up, often in passing.
- Put the most important fact first: who or what, and when.
- Check every name and date with the organisation responsible.
- Agree who owns the plaque and who maintains it.
Clubs and sports grounds
Sports clubs and venues mark founding years, new stands, championships and long-serving members with inscribed stones and plaques, and fans who travel to watch a game often look for them. For readers in Taiwan who follow baseball in Japan, this Traditional Chinese guide to watching Japanese professional baseball from Taiwan, covering where games are broadcast and when the postseason is played (日職直播怎麼看) is a practical place to start before planning a ballpark trip.
Permission
Fixing a plaque to a building or placing a stone in a public space usually needs the owner's permission and sometimes planning approval. Check before anything is cut.
Cut 2026-10-22