Josh;
You are on the right track. We have plenty of frost here in Wisconsin. I have done this exact thing at my residence 3 years ago. I poured a concrete footing approx. 12" thick and laid up a concrete block pillar. I then attached the stone with mortor directly to the concrete block. I then capped the pillar with a square pillar cap made of stone. The important thing is to have every joint filled tight with mortor and the capp properly attached with mortor. This will prevent water from getting in. Sealing the entire project with a concrete sealer would also help. I have seen this application done here in WI many times and never heard of any problems. The company I work for manufactures concrete products and sells these types of stone veneers.I have talked to the stone reps. on this same subject, and they all have given their support with this application. You can go to
www.nsvi.com or
www.culturedstone.com for detailed installation drawings.
Hope this helps.