The first marble quarry opened in the county (of which I have an account) was in the town of Pittsford, by Jeremiah SHELDON, in 1795. In 1804 Eben W. JUDD, of Middlebury, adopted the plan of the marble workers who lived in the time of Pliny, and sawed the first marble in the State with soft iron plates, using sand and water, a plan universally adopted t throughout Vermont, and other places where marble is sawed. The first mill for sawing marble in the county was built on Stevens's Brook, by Epaphras JONES in 1806; this mill was constructed on different principles from that of Judd's and proved a failure. Another mill was built soon after on Mill Brook, by Mr. Ballou. Considerable marble from the "Sheldon Quarry" was sawed at this mill. Mr. John A. CONANT, one of the oldest citizens of Brandon, in a letter dated October to, 1885, says: "I well remember that JUDD, of Middlebury, ran a single plate saw for sawing marble that he brought from Pittsford about 1811." He further says that "JUDD hauled marble from Pittsford to his works in Middlebury; and at one time boated marble down Otter Creek."

      The second marble quarry was opened in Pittsford by Eli HUDSON in 1799, a few rods north of the "Pittsford Quarry Company's" opening.

      The third marble quarry was also opened in Pittsford, by Charles LAMB about the year 1806.
 
 

      The first quarry opened on this property was about 1807. The farm was owned at that time by Timothy BROCKWAY, and was worked in 1812 by Ezra MEACH. At different times the quarry was worked by the following parties: Gardiner and Obro TRIPP, 1815, Timothy BROCKWAY, David HURLBERT, Luther PERKINS, William DENNISON, and William BARNES, Erastus and Artemas WARD, 1845, and lastly by James BUTLER, in 1850, when work was suspended. The True Blue Marble Company was organized in 1884, and opened a new quarry near the old one. The marble is veined, mottled and shaded in the nicest and most beautiful true blue colorings, the texture is extremely fine and even-grained, and takes a fine polish. This company has a mill of eight gangs at the quarry with rubbing-bed, lathes for turning and polishing, etc., and the saws are supplied with sand and water by the "Ripley Automatic Sand Feed." The officers of the company are: J. M. CRAMTON, president; E. D. KEYES, treasurer; George B. ROYCE, secretary. Slabs are to be seen in the cemeteries of Rutland, West Rutland and Whipple Hollow, that were taken from this quarry, some of which were erected nearly seventy years ago, and are bright and sound to-day. The slabs were split out and reduced to an even thickness by hand, the marks of the chisel are plainly seen on the back side of all the slabs One of these bears the name of Jacob BALTZ with the date of 1789.

      The following sales and leases are from the Rutland town records, of the 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: 

      Mr. EATON and Mr. RHODES built a mill about three miles south of Castleton 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 remember, 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 apparently 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 demolished and but few traces of it can be seen at the present time.
 
 

      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 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 company are at present sawing their blocks in the American Marble Company’s Mill near by.
 
 

      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.
 
 

      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 [?]hock HILL, all of Boston, who worked the quarry till 1842. Subsequently S. L. GOODELL bought the property and opened another quarry in 1847 near the old one, which he worked until I849, 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 be 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 resided 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.
 
 

      The marble works of RIPLEY Sons, located at Center Rutland, 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, aggregating 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 "Automatic 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 impurities. The advantages of the "Automatic Sand Feed" over the old hand process 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, elevating 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 & 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. Contracts 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 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 Joseph 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 quarries 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 [?]ock 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 Company 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 Marble Company, making it the largest marble company in the world. (See Vermont Marble Company.)

      Dorset Marble Company. -- Successors to the "Manhattan Marble Company" 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, treasurer; J. B. HOLLISTER, manager.

      The Sudbury Marble Quarry, situated at the northwest part of the town, 2 1/2 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 texture 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 Loen 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 operated 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 & Company, 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. BISHOP, 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 and 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 1833, when it was resumed by William MANSON 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 Vermont 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 embarrassments, 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 district for night work.

      The Austin Quarry (Brandon), about 1/3 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.

      Trojan Marble Company (Brandon), opened in 1871 by the Trojan Marble 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 supplied 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, Robert 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 REYNOLDS farm). -- Opened in 1882 by W. H. JOHNSON and John B. REYNOLDS. The marble 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 2 1/2 miles southwest of village. 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 marble 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 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 are operated 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 "Griffith" 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.
 
 

      White marble from Hyde's Quarry, Rutland, made by D. OLMSTEAD, jr., in 1846:
 

      By the same: -- Greenish marble, from the same quarry:
 

      By the same: -- Statuary marble, Brandon:
 

      The following analysis was made for the proprietors of the Sudbury Marble Company by Dr. A. A. HAYES, of Boston:
 

      The coloring which is seen in most of the marbles of the county is due to carbonaceous matter derived from crinoids, corals and mollusks.

      Carbonate of lime when free from impurities consists of carbonic acid 44.00,
lime 56.00 = 100.00.

      When pure carbonate of lime is roasted or burned in a kiln the carbonic acid is set free, effecting a loss of 44.00 per cent in weight, leaving 56.00 of quick lime, (calcium).

      Comparative Strength. -- The following table of the compressive strength of marble from quarries of Rutland county is taken from Vol. X of the Tenth Census U. S.:
 

      Foreign marble for comparison:
 

      In the working of the first marble quarries of the country, powder was the principal agent used for detaching blocks from the ledges, although the "plug and feather" was used where loose beds were found. The use of powder was soon found to be very destructive in its effects, not only to the masses detached, but also to the ledge itself, which would be badly shivered and cut up with powder stains, making it impossible to quarry sound blocks of any desired size or shape. Therefore it became necessary to dispense with the use of powder in quarrying, its use being restricted to uncovering or removing the surface rock, during the first stages of developing new quarries. As a substitute for powder the system of cutting "channels" around masses of marble and raising such masses from their beds with the "plug and feather," was adopted. These channels were cut by hand, and although it was a slow and expensive method, it effected a great saving of stock and enabled proprietors of quarries to produce blocks of large size and good shape, without injury to the block or quarry. Hand channeling continued down to 1863, when a machine was invented and constructed by George J. WARDWELL, of Rutland, driven by steam, for cutting channels, which successfully performed the work of twenty-five men per day. This machine was a single machine, cutting a single channel only. It was soon followed by a double machine, which cut two channels at the same time, and would do the work of fifty men per day, as an average. Some few machines in charge of good “runners” under favorable circumstances, such as cutting long and deep channels, have for moths averaged the work of sixty-five men per day. Next to follow this double machine was a machine that would cut not only vertical but inclined channels at any angle from the vertical to fifty degrees.

      Since the introduction of these channeling machines the marble industry of Rutland county has increased fourfold. The machines are in general use throughout the country on all quarries that produce dimension stone, excepting granite, and are known as the "Wardwell Channeling Machines.” They are manufactured in Rutland by the Steam Stone-Cutter Company, organized in 1865.
 
 

"History of Rutland County Vermont with Illustrations & 
Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men & Pioneers"
Edited by H. Y. Smith & W. S. Rann, Syracuse, N. Y.
D. Mason & Co., Publishers, 1886
History of Rutland County
Chapter XIII.
(pages 180-191)

Transcribed by Karima, 2002