Building Stone and Slate.
Virginia stands first among the States in the variety and beauty of her
building stones, beginning with her granites and slates in Eastern Virginia,
and extending to her limestones in the West, her brownstones in the
Eastern counties, her marbles in Bedford, Russell, and Scott Counties, and
ending with the beautiful sandstones of the Southwestern coal field, in half-dozen
counties.
Virginia can make an exhibit in this line of which any country might
be proud. At Petersburg are beautiful light and dark granites, in inexhaustible
quarries. At Richmond and Manchester, on opposite sides of
James River, at the head of tide, are the great quarries that stood the test
of stone made by the Government for the Naval Department at Washington.
At Fredericksburg is fine granite, and near there the beautiful white
sandstone of which the "White House" was built. The brown sandstone
of Prince William, Botetourt, Nelson, Craig, and Albemarle will compare
favorably with the best anywhere.
Roofing slate of excellent quality is found on both sides of James River.
That found in Buckingham, near New Canton, on Slate River, yields slate
that compares favorably with the best qualities of imported material, both
in density, texture, and capacity for resisting atmospheric changes. The
Capitol and University buildings have been covered with this slate, and
the quarries have been extensively worked. The rock splits with great
regularity and may be separated with iron wedges into sheets of 100 square
feet, not more than one inch thick.
In Nelson County, on Rockfish and near the mouth of Tye River, a
true marble is found, of beautiful quality, whiteness, and texture, which
renders it susceptible of taking the highest polish. This marble is easily
worked with the chisel. In Campbell, a few miles from Lynchburg, a
good marble is found. Limestone is also abundant. Amherst and Albemarle
have slate quarries, which have been worked, furnishing good roofing
and admirable furniture slate. Loudoun has the finest white marble, and
Botetourt the finest black marble, yet discovered in the State. Lithographic
stone has been found and tested in the James River valley, in the
Counties of Botetourt, Rockbridge, and Alleghany, and a species of steatite
of beautiful green stone suitable for building has been found in several
counties. Virginia abounds in most valuable building stones.
