Soapstone.
Steatite (soapstone) of fine quality for resisting the most intense heat,
is found in Amelia, Albemarle, and some other counties of Middle and
Piedmont Virginia. In Amelia a mine of steatite was successfully operated
a few miles from the county seat. One formation of it is very much
like serpentine, and resists heat successfully. It is frequently called potstone,
and was said to have been cut by the Indians into pots. Two veins
are found in Campbell County, both crossing the James River from Amherst
about ten miles apart. The western one is a beautiful green, cuts easily,
and hardens by exposure, and makes handsome building stone. The eastern
vein is very light grey, polishes well, resists heat, and is much used
for fire-places. Albemarle has large veins of steatite, which are being
worked and marketed successfully at North Garden. The veins of steatite
run across the state from northeast to southwest. They appear to follow
a kind of glade formation, a few miles in width, though other veins are
sometimes found outside this line.
