Inspiration

Davis-Murdoch Stone Company

Moving Materials

The beginning of this saga can be found here.

The soapstone mills were built in remote areas close to the Soapstone Belt.

Quarries supplying stone to the mills were scattered through the surrounding countryside.

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Kierk Ashmore-Sorensen collection

At the time local roads were built to handle agricultural wagon traffic. The high volume of stone from quarry to mill and finished products from the mills to the outside world necessitated the construction of rail lines.

Virginia-Alberene Stone Company

The beginning of this saga can be found here.

One Company in particular was very successful manufacturing and marketing soapstone products.



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Kierk Ashmore-Sorensen collection

In the early 1900s, Alberene Stone Company had 100s of workers in the mill cutting, finishing, and assembling a variety of soapstone products.

What is Soapstone?

The beginning of this saga can be found here.

Soapstone is a term used to describe a range of minerals with the common characteristic of high talc content.


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Abandoned soapstone quarry, Albemarle County, Virginia

Talc gives the stone a slippery feel when wet. Soapstone is not particularly rare. Stone from most deposits is milled into powder for its high talc content. But the soapstone in central Virginia is unusual in that it has a high density, consistent grain pattern that allows it to be cut, carved, drilled and routed.

Native Americans carved cental Virginia soapstone into bowls. In colonial days it was used for foot warmers. With the advent of indoor plumbing, there was a huge demand for Virginia soapstone. It is still used for kitchen and bathroom applications, and is well suited for labratory countertops.

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Soapstone slabs for countertops

Abandoned quarries in the woods are silent reminders of what was once a flourishing industry in the Blue Ridge foothills.