USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 21
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The following sales and leases are from the Rutland town records, of the
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MARBLE AND SLATE IN RUTLAND COUNTY.
farm including the marble quarry now owned and worked by the True Blue Marble Company, showing it to be the oldest quarry as to date of opening in the town of Rutland, and the fourth oldest in the county, as far as now can be determined : -
January 28, 1804, Eliphas Thrall sold to Timothy Brockway a farm of 150 acres, on which was a marble quarry.
May 7, 1807, the farm was owned and sold by Timothy Brockway to Alexander Donahue, " reserving to myself and my assigns the right of working a certain stone ledge thereon standing, and taking stone from the same until October 1, 1809."
Also during the year 1807 Alexander Donahue sold to David Hurlbert.
"October 29, 1808, David Hurlbert leased to Luther Perkins for five years to work stone commonly called marble."
April 22, 1814, David Hurlbert leased the stone quarry to William Denni- son.
April 5, 1828, William Dennison leased the stone quarry to Erastus Ward.
April 18, 1851, Erastus Ward leased the stone quarry to Samuel Butler.
September 18, 1854, Samuel Butler leased to Edward G. Chatterton said quarry.
April 8, 1879, the administrator of E. G. Chatterton sold the farm with- out reservation to Thomas Dwyer.
1883, Thomas Dwyer sold the farm to John O'Rourke.
1884, John O'Rourke sold to the True Blue Marble Company.
Enos Clark, an older brother of the late General Jonas Clark, as early as 1807 manufactured marble by hand at Middletown. (The latter Clark was apprenticed to the former.) Their stock was taken from a quarry on a part of the farm then owned by Elihu Andrews in the north part of Tinmouth ; the quarry property composed about two acres. In 1810 the " Andrews Quarry," as it was then called, was owned by General Clark, who employed two work- men, David Mehurin and Marcus Stoddard, who afterward became joint owners. Stoddard subsequently built a small mill in Middletown and procured his stock from the " Andrews Quarry." The quarry property was subsequently sold to Moses Ambler, and again to Edward Woodruff, and is now the property of Isaac D. Stubbs. The quarry produced white and mottled (or blue and white) marble. Specimens may be found in Poultney, Castleton, Middletown and probably other places, which will compare favorably with any now found in the county.
A business similar to that done at Middletown before the building of the Stoddard mill, was carried on at Chippen Hook in Clarendon by Peleg Sea- mans and William Beals.
In 1821 General Jonas Clark purchased thirty acres of land with a water power in the south part of Tinmouth, and also a quarry of several acres ad-
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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
joining belonging to Elias Salsbury. On this property he built the first mill for sawing marble in the county. The mill had two gangs and a single or trimming saw. The machinery was driven by an overshot wheel twenty-seven feet in diameter. Business was continued for nearly thirty years, but only to a limited extent during the last ten. During this period the marble was hauled by horses a distance of thirty miles to Comstock's and then taken by the Cham- plain and Erie Canals to Utica and Weed's Basin near Auburn, N. Y., where Mr. Clark carried on a business for several years. In 1854, after the death of Mr. Clark, the quarries and mill were both sold and probably little evidence of the existence of the mill or of the work done at the quarries now exists. I think however there must be evidence of the dam, which was of stone. 1
Mr. Eaton and Mr. Rhodes built a mill about three miles south of Castle- ton in about 1830. General Clark and Eaton & Rhodes furnished the marble used in the Troy Conference Academy, which was erected in 1836 and 1837.
In 1830 Ezra Spencer and Moses Cowen opened a quarry in Pittsford a few rods west of the quarries now owned and worked by F. W. Smith. In 1839 and 1840 William Hyatt worked the quarry and furnished the marble for the Conant House in Brandon.
Justus Hyatt erected a mill for sawing marble in Brandon village in about 1831. This mill was situated on the south side of Brandon River just below the grist-mill. The marble for the Conant House was sawed at this mill.
Mr. Artemas Ward, who is 80 years old, and who has always resided in Rutland, says that a small mill was built in West Rutland, west of the town farm, on a stream running through the Dennis Smith farm, nearly 75 years ago with a " pendulum gang." This mill existed as long ago as he can re- member, and he cannot say at what time it was built. He states that it was used but a little and was allowed to go to decay, and has disappeared. It ap- parantly must have been a failure, as the existence of a successful mill would have been retained in the memory of citizens a generation or so younger. The Hon. Merritt Clark says that the first mill for sawing marble built in the county was built by General Enos Clark in 1821, as previously stated.
A marble-mill was built in Clarendon about one-half mile north of the springs, on the farm of Doctor Jonathan Shaw. This was called the " Taylor Mill," and was built about 1825, and used as late as 1845. Some of the earlier blocks quarried in Rutland were sawed in this mill. (See True Blue Marble Co.) Marble was also quarried near the mill. The building has been demol- ished and but few traces of it can be seen at the present time.
Standard Marble Company (West Rutland, west side of valley) .- This quarry was opened about 1830 by William F. Barnes and Francis Slason, who worked it but a short time. In 1883 the present company was incorporated
1 The foregoing account of the marble industry in the towns of Clarendon, Tinmouth and Middle- town was kindly furnished by the Hon. Merritt Clark .- G. J. W.
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MARBLE AND SLATE IN RUTLAND COUNTY.
with the above title, with N. W. Batchelder as president, J. E. Manley, clerk and manager. The marble is light clouded, light and dark blue. This com- pany are at present sawing their blocks in the American Marble Company's Mill near by.
The Columbian Marble Company .- These quarries are situated about one and a half miles south of Sutherland Falls. The quarry was first opened by Moses P. Humphrey and Edgar L. Ormsbee, in 1839, who operated it but a short time, and not until 1868 was work resumed at the quarry, by the North Rutland Marble Company. Since 1871 the property has been worked by the Columbian Marble Company. Nearly all of the product of their quarry is worked up and finished at their mills situated in Rutland village, on the lines of the Central Vermont and Delaware and Hudson Railroads. They have a mill capacity of thirteen gangs of saws, rubbing-beds, lathes, etc. The marble produced by this company is generally of a dark color, with clouds of white to nearly black traversing it in wavy and undulating courses, giving a great variety of figures. It is largely used for cemetery purposes.
Selden Quarry (Brandon) .- The first quarry opened in Brandon was called the " Boston Quarry ; " it was opened in 1840 by James Davis, James Davis, jr., Thomas J. Bayley, and Ilock Hill, all of Boston, who worked the quarry till 1842. Subsequently S. L. Goodell bought the property and opened an- other quarry in 1847 near the old one, which he worked until 1849, and then sold out to E. D. Selden, he worked it to 1864, when it passed into the hands of Messrs. Barlow, Goodell and Tilton, who worked it under the name of the " Brandon Statuary Marble Company" till 1880. In 1884 Mr. Goodell bought the property back again, and the quarry and mill is now worked by the " Wakefield Marble Company." Their mill has twelve gangs of saws, and one rubbing-bed. The marble produced by this company from their Brandon quarry is nearly all pure white and is the finest grained white marble quarried in the State, if not in the world ; for purity and fineness of texture it is equal to the celebrated Parian marble of the Greeks.
S. L. Goodell opened a quarry near his residence in Brandon village in 1881 ; it is now leased and worked by Thayer & Simonds. The marble is of fine texture, light clouded and mottled. The blocks are sawed at the Florence & Wakefield mills.
In March, 1799, Edward Clifford bought of his brother Simeon forty-five acres of land in Pittsford and made the first improvements on it. Subsequently he and his son Nathan opened and worked a marble quarry on the farm. The year in which the Cliffords opened their quarry is undetermined. They re- sided on the farm till 1845 when they moved to Parma, Michigan. The quarry property eventually passed into the hands of E. D. Selden, and in 1866 it was sold to the " Pittsford Quarry Co." who built a mill on the property and worked the quarry for a number of years. The property is now owned by F. W. Smith & Co.
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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
Ripley Sons .- The marble works of Ripley Sons, located at Center Rut- land, were established by the late W. Y. Ripley in 1844, and are now carried on by his sons, Generals W. Y. W. and E. H. Ripley. They have a large and finely equipped mill for sawing and polishing marble, doing contract work, ag- gregating over 300,000 feet of marble annually. The Ripley mill contains twenty gangs of saws, and was the first mill that was fitted up with the " Au- tomatic Sand Feed," a device that insures a constant and uniform supply of sand and water, using the sand over and over again, as long as any grains of silica remain, at the same time taking in a supply of fresh sand ; as fast as the sand becomes useless it is washed away with the mud, by which means the saw plates are kept supplied with clean grains of sand, freed from all impuri- ties. The advantages of the " Automatic Sand Feed " over the old hand pro- cess are a great saving in sand ; a greater amount of sawing done in a given time, and truer sawed surfaces, and saving of labor. The attendance of one man is sufficient to care for twelve to fifteen gangs of saws. By the old method the labor of one man was required for every two gangs.
The " Automatic Sand Feed " is the invention of William T. Ripley, son of General W. Y. W. Ripley. Young Ripley fitted up a crude apparatus in the mills of the firm and demonstrated the practicability of first washing, then elevating and distributing the sand, collecting the sand again, washing, elevat- ing and distributing as long as there remained any grains of sand fit for use. This experimental apparatus was kept in operation for a number of months, without any attendance, before he applied his invention to the saw gangs in the mill, when his expectation of its usefulness was fully demonstrated. Mr. Ripley's application for a patent was made April 26, 1883, and his patent therefor was granted October 2, 1883. The Ripley " Automatic Sand Feed " has been adopted by many first-class mills in the country, and is destined to go into general use.
Sheldon & Sons (West Rutland) .- Sheldon & Slason opened their first quarry in 1844, on the property now owned and worked by Sheldon & Sons ; the latter are at the present time working three large quarries, one of which is 250 feet deep. The firm is composed of Messrs. Charles Sheldon, John A., Charles H. and W. R. Sheldon, successors to Sheldon & Slason. Their three finishing mills are very extensive, being fitted with sixty-six gangs of saws, three rubbing-beds and a full complement of marble-working machinery. The power for working the quarrying machinery (channelers and drills) is furnished by one of Rand's double compressors of three hundred horse power. Their quarries produce nearly all the grades of white, blue and dark marbles. Con- tracts were filled by Sheldon & Slason a few years since for 245,000 lettered headstones for soldiers' graves in national cemeteries, the contract amounting to $864,000. The lettering was done with the " sand blast." The famous " Gold Room " in the treasury building of Washington is paneled with blue
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MARBLE AND SLATE IN RUTLAND COUNTY.
marble furnished by the Sheldons. They also produced the marble for the old Parker House and for the Rogers Building in Boston. Sheldon & Sons employ nearly four hundred men.
The Rutland Marble Company's (West Rutland) quarries, opened by Wm. F. Barnes in 1845. The marble produced in these quarries ranges from pure white to dark blue. (See Vermont Marble Company.)
Gilson & Woodfin (West Rutland). - These quarries were opened by Jo- seph Adams and Ira C. Allen, 1845, and have been worked by the present owners since 1868, Mr. Woodfin entering the firm in 1874. They are located in the heart of the West Rutland marble belt. The product of their quarrries is the same as that of Sheldon & Sons. They operate a mill of twenty-one gangs of saws and employ about one hundred men. The firm is composed of E. P. Gilson and John N. Woodfin.
Manley's Quarry (Sudbury), opened by Albert Manley and Ilock Hill in 1847
Lippitt Quarry (Wallingford), opened by Joseph F. Lippitt in 1848. It is now owned and worked by W. W. Kelley, who has a mill of eight gangs.
Sherman & Gleason Quarry (West Rutland) .- This quarry was opened in 1850 by Smith Sherman and Moses Jackman, and produces white, clouded and blue marble, now worked by the " Dorset Marble Company."
The Sutherland Falls Marble Quarries, situated in the north part of the town of Rutland, were opened in 1852 by the North River Mining Company. This marble is harder and not so fine as the marbles of West Rutland. The products of these quarries are light and dark clouded and mottled; it takes a good polish, while some of the beds resemble very closely the Italian clouded.
These quarries have been worked by several companies since they were opened, viz. : Sutherland Falls Marble Company of New York, who were the first to adopt the use of channeling machines ; Sutherland Falls Marble Com- pany of Massachusetts, and Sutherland Falls Marble Company of Vermont. The quarries have been greatly enlarged within a few years past, and since 1880 have been worked by the Vermont Marble Company, a company formed by a consolidation of the Sutherland Falls Marble Company and Rutland Mar- ble Company, making it the largest marble company in the world. (See Ver- mont Marble Company.)
Dorset Marble Company. - Successors to the " Manhattan Marble Compa- ny " of West Rutland quarries .- Opened by Ferrand Parker, C. M. Willard and others. The old quarry has been abandoned, and this company is working the Sherman & Jackson Quarry. They have a steam mill at West Rutland of eight gangs ; also mill of twelve gangs and quarries at Dorset - a mill of twelve gangs at Hydeville. They are thus working thirty-two gangs in their three mills. The stock produced by this company at West Rutland is light clouded. Officers of the company are : E. J. Hawley, president ; J. H. Goulding, treasu- rer ; J. B. Hollister, manager.
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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
The Sudbury Marble Quarry, situated at the northwest part of the town, 22 miles from the Addison Railroad, was opened by the " North River Mining and Quarrying Company " in 1852, who operated but a short time. E. A. Morse and others worked the quarry during the summer of 1882. The text- ure of this marble is fine as porcelain and takes a beautiful polish. The white layer is eleven feet thick, and there are also layers of light and dark blue, each eleven feet thick. It is not worked at the present time.
Hall Quarry (Wallingford), opened by Gen. Robinson Hall about 1855. It was worked a short time by Frank Post, who stopped work in 1859. It then remained idle till 1867, when it was worked for two years by Loren Waldo, and has not been worked since.
Adair Quarry (South Wallingford). - Opened by J. Adair and Brother in 1857. The quarry was worked by the old "hand process." They also had a mill of six gangs and employed at one time in the quarry, mill, and dressing marble, seventy-five men. This quarry furnished some of the marble for the custom house, Charleston, S. C. The quarry was worked one season by Lo- ren Waldo, about 1867, and has remained idle since.
Otter Creek Marble Company (Rutland), incorporated November 9, 1865. This company never commenced operations and sold its charter to a company who opened a quarry in Brandon called the " Dean Quarry " in 1865.
Flint Brothers' Quarry (Rutland Valley). - Opened by William F. Barnes in 1865 ; now known as the " Albion Marble Quarry," and owned and oper- ated by Wyman Flint and J. G. Flint. This company have a steam mill at the quarry of twelve gangs. The mill is not running at present, as the product of the quarry has been sold for a term of years to the " Center Rutland Marble Co." The stock of this quarry is light and dark veined.
Pittsford Quarry Company, incorporated October 31, 1865. Corporators, William Fox Richardson, Francis Garderner, N. H. Hand, Thomas A. Dexter, H. L. Hazelton, George W. Messenger, R. S. Wade. This company built a mill, operated a few years and suspended work about 1872 or '73. The mill is not used at present. The property is now owned by F. W. Smith & Com- pany, who opened in 1880 a new quarry situated some sixty rods south of the old quarry and mill, where a fine quality of light clouded marble is produced. The stock is sawed at their mill at Belden Falls.
Brandon Marble Company, incorporated November 8, 1865. Corporators, John Howe, jr., E. N. Briggs, E. J. Bliss, Stephen L. Goodell, Cyrus N. Bish- op, Alson N. Clark, Bradley Bartow, F. A. Fisher, A. E. Tilton. (See Selden Quarry.)
American Marble Company (West Rutland, west side of valley). - Opened by Horace and Norman Clark, Solomon Giddings aud J. E. Post in 1866. This company built a mill of four gangs at the quarry. Work was suspended in 1872 and remained idle until 1883, when it was resumed by William Man-
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MARBLE AND SLATE IN RUTLAND COUNTY.
son and others, who operated for one season. The mill is run by the West Rutland Marble Co., whose quarry is near by. The quarry is idle.
Albion Quarry (located at Double Road Crossing, Rutland Valley), Flint Brothers, Proprietors. - These quarries were opened in 1866 by William F. Barnes. The marble is the light clouded variety. They have a steam mill of twelve gangs, one rubbing-bed and lathes. The quarries and mills give employment to fifty men. Near the above quarry is one owned by the Ver- mont Marble Company, opened by Clement & Sons, but not worked at the present time.
Dean Quarry (Brandon), opened in 1866. The Dean Quarry Company was composed of C. J. Joy, Henry Currier, Henry B. Richmond and George W. Dean, all of Boston. This company built a mill of six gangs, a dozen or more tenements, and operated a number of years. Owing to financial embar- rassments, work was suspended in 1876 and the property has remained idle since. This quarry is situated about two miles south of Brandon village.
West Rutland Marble Co. - Morgan Quarry, formerly "Green Mountain Quarry " (West Rutland, west side of valley). Opened by David Morgan in 1866. The stock is white and light clouded. They have a mill at the quarry of four gangs ; also a mill at Salem, N. Y., of eight gangs. E. M. Nelson, president, William W. Clark, treasurer. This company work their quarry nights, using the electric arc lights, one in the yard and two in the quarry. They are the first and only parties using the electric light in the marble dis- trict for night work.
The Austin Quarry (Brandon), about 3 mile west of the village of Brandon, opened by S. L. Goodell about 1866. This quarry has produced some very fine white and clouded stock ; was worked for a while by S. L. Goodell. The property is now owned by T. Thayer and George E. Royce, and is not worked at the present time.
Central Vermont Marble Company (Pittsford). - Opened by H. F. Lothrup, Germond and Lafayette Hendee, and Oliver Ames, in 1869. These parties operated about one year, and then leased the property to George E. Hall, who organized the above company in 1870. This company worked the quarry about three years when work was suspended and it has remained idle since.
Boardman Hill Quarry (Rutland), opened by William Hyatt & E. C. Wheaton in 1869, who operated part of one season. The quarry remained idle until 1884, when work was resumed by W. W. Kimball.
Florence and Wakefield Marble Company (Pittsford), successors to Black & White Marble Company, who were successors to Wheaton Marble Company, worked by the Wheaton Company from 1870 to 1873, and then remained idle till 1882, when it was again idle till 1884. In 1885 it passed into the hands of the Florence & Wakefield Marble Company. -, president ; A. F. Walker, treasurer ; S. L. Goodell, superintendent.
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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
Trojan Marble Company (Brandon), opened in 1871 by the Trojan Mar- ble Company. E. A. Billings, president; John T. Christie, treasurer. Have a mill of four gangs; the old opening is not worked, a new one is opened a few rods north and worked by J. P. Upham, and others. The stock is light clouded.
Center Rutland Marble Co. (Rutland Valley) .- This company's quarry was opened by B. P. Baker in 1880. Some very handsome light and dark-clouded marble has been taken from this quarry. The marble proving unsound, work has been suspended on the quarry, and their steam mill of twelve gangs is sup- plied with blocks from the " Albion Marble Quarry," as previously stated.
Baker's Quarry (Rutland Valley), opened by B. P. Baker, in 1880. - The quarry has produced some very handsome light and dark clouded stock. They have a steam mill of twelve gangs, rubbing-bed, lathes, etc. The quarry is not worked at present, the mill being supplied with stock from the Albion quarry.
Bardillo Marble Company (Brandon). - Opened by Robert L. Darrah, Rob- ert Fisher, William L. Strong, S. D. Hatch in 1882. This company have a twelve gang mill and quarry about three miles southwest of Brandon village.
The Esperanza Marble Quarry (Whipple Hollow, on the Harvey Reynold's farm) .- Opened in 1882 by W. H. Johnson and John B. Reynolds. The mar- ble produced from this quarry consists of light and dark veined and mottled blue. When finished it presents a great variety of figure and takes a beautiful polish. This company have a mill at the quarry of eight gangs.
North Pittsford Marble Company, composed of F. W. Smith, C. H. Bliss. and others. Quarry opened by the above in 1883 ; worked for two seasons, at present is idle.
Empire Marble Company (near Sutherland Falls) opened a quarry about 1870, which remained idle until 1884 ; Phelps, Fuller, Collins and others worked it a part of one season ; at present it is idle.
Reed's Quarry (Pittsford), opened in 1884 by John P. Reed. Stock, dark blue ; now abandoned.
Peck's Quarry (Brandon), located about 22 miles southwest of village. L. B. Peck and others have opened a quarry and worked it this season - 1885.
The Valido Marble Quarry .- Opened in 1884 by W. H. Johnson and John B. Reynolds on the Gorham farm, a few rods from the " Esperanza." This company have a mill at Fairhaven of twelve gangs. The quality of the mar- ble is the same as that of the Esperanza Quarry.
Vermont Marble Company. - The Vermont Marble Company, of which ex- Governor Redfield Proctor is president, quarry and finish more marble than any other one firm or company in the world. They now own and operate the following quarries at or near Proctor (Sutherland Falls) : The "Old Quarry," so called, opened fifty years ago; the Adams Quarry, opened 1865 ; the:
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MARBLE AND SLATE IN RUTLAND COUNTY.
Mountain Dark, a mile and a half north, opened 1884. At West Rutland the company owns nearly one-half mile in length on the marble belt, on which there are seven quarries opened ; three or four of them areoperated at a time by turns, as they can be worked to the best advantage. Their mill capacity at Proctor consists of seventy-four gangs of saws, with rubbing-beds, lathes and polishing machinery, all driven by the water power of Otter Creek, which has a fall at this place of 120 feet. At Center Rutland they have two mills which are also driven by the water of Otter Creek. The one on the north side of the creek has twelve gangs, and the one on the south side twenty-six gangs. At West Rutland the company has a steam mill with sixteen gangs, making a total of 128 gangs of saws, with rubbing-beds, turning and polishing lathes, etc. The mills and quarries of this company give employment to nearly 700 men.
Besides the quarries mentioned in this long list there were formerly three quarries on Danby Mountain, which are not now worked; one was the "Grif- fith" quarry ; one owned by Thomas Symington and one by W. W. Kelly. At one period, some twenty-five years ago, there were six mills here, with twenty- six gangs of the old style. In Tinmouth there was a quarry on lands now owned by David Edmunds, and in Clarendon one on lands of Abner Colvin, both of which have been long abandoned.
Analysis of Some of the Marbles of Rutland County. - White marble from Hyde's Quarry, Rutland, made by D. Olmstead, jr., in 1846 :-
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