The Fancher obelisk and what is – and isn’t – inside it

The largest tombstone in the state is 68 feet tall, weighs 1,000 tons, is made of granite, cost $25,000 and was erected in 1911.

Oh, and it’s just outside Merced – near Highway 140 and Arboleda Drive, to be exact.

Of course, I am talking about the Fancher obelisk, erected in memory of George Hicks Fancher, who died March 30, 1900.

Fancher, born in New York state in 1828, came to California to pan for gold in 1850. After six years of prospecting, he farmed in Stockton for 13 years before coming to Merced in 1869. Once here, Fancher established a 4,000-acre ranch, dubbed Bear Creek Ranch, and partnered with his brother in banking.

When Fancher died, he was buried on his ranch and left his estate to 17 heirs, including siblings, nephews and nieces. Upon his death, Fancher had one request: “I set apart from my estate for my funeral expenses and proper interment of my remains and a suitable monument to my memory $25,000.”

But his heirs disagreed on what a “suitable monument” would be.

One idea was to use the money to build Merced County’s first library, calling it the George H. Fancher Memorial Free Library. Fancher’s brother, Jonathan W. Fancher Jr., opposed the library idea and insisted on using the money to build a massive tombstone for his brother’s grave.

A legal battle ensued, reaching the California Supreme Court in 1909. The court ruled that Merced couldn’t use the money for the public library.

Thus, the Fancher obelisk was constructed using the local granite company, Raymond Granite Co., and granite from the foothills there. It was completed in 1911.

Being the giant monument it is, many a passer-by has peered at it on the way to Yosemite. And it beckons many questions. Today, I’ll answer one of them.

Q: What is inside the Fancher obelisk located at Highway 140 and Arboleda Drive?

A: The giant monument is said to have all sorts of things inside – Fancher’s favorite furniture, books, limbs of fruit trees, wheat and other things Fancher valued.

But Steven Fancher, who is the great-great-nephew of the Fancher buried beneath the obelisk, said the story passed down in his family says otherwise.

“There’s a lot of stories about things that were supposedly buried with him,” Steven Fancher said. “As far as I know, it was just the wheat and the branches.”

And Steven Fancher clarified: “I don’t think there’s anything inside, per se. I think it’s underneath.” The obelisk was built upon Fancher’s grave, and the items he valued were buried with him, Steven Fancher said.

Fancher, a 63-year-old from Merced, said he’s been asked about the monument all his life because of his last name. Once, one of his professors at Merced College even asked him about it in front of his whole class, he said.

“It’s interesting that part of my family is remembered in that way,” he said about the monument. “But it’s not like I knew the guy or anything.”

This isn’t the first time the obelisk has been addressed in the Sun-Star, and I doubt it will be the last.

About five years ago, Sun-Star letter writers complained about the upkeep of the obelisk. Because it stands on private property, it’s the property owner’s responsibility to take care of it.

George H. Fancher established a $1,000 trust in his will to maintain the monument. Robert Loehr, a former attorney who lives in San Jose, is the trustee of the property. In previous Sun-Star reports, Loehr said he wished Merced County or a historical society would take over the property and maintenance of the monument. But Merced County and the Courthouse Museum have worried about the cost and liability surrounding the monument.

For the most part, I think most people do what Steven Fancher does: “I drive by once in a while and wave.”

Writing this column has been great fun. I’ve really enjoyed learning about Merced in the process. I would like to encourage readers to continue calling in or emailing me with questions. Remember, hardly a thing is off limits.

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "The Fancher obelisk and what is – and isn’t – inside it."