PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. — Deep in Pickens County, a man makes a living the old-fashioned way.
J. David Gillespie is a stonecutter, a Renaissance man, really. He also paints, carves wood, plays and makes musical instruments and is an unofficial expert on tombstones from the 1700s and 1800s.
He is self-taught. He uses tools he made or some from the 1700s, used by craftsmen like him. One of his most prized tools is a mallet that his father made for him…