Gantts Quarry: Difference between revisions

	Town of Gantts Quarry
Incorporated	1910–2001
Population	0
Mayor	-
School district	Talladega County Schools
Government	Gantts Quarry Town Council; -; -
Web site
	Locate with Google Maps

Revision as of 16:54, 3 March 2023

Gantts Quarry was a marble quarry and former community and incorporated municipality near Sylacauga in southern Talladega County.

The marble deposit was discovered by Dr Edward Gantt who purchased the property in 1830. By 1840 Gantt was quarrying marble, and employed ox teams to haul slabs 9 miles to a landing on the Coosa River. He abandoned the operation in the late 1850s, unable to successfully recoup his costs without rail service.

Two 2-foot by 4-foot blocks of marble from Gantt Quarry represent Alabama as "Commemmorative Stones" inside the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.

The quarry was purchased in the late 1890s by Amos Mylin and Alexander King of Pennsylvania with Dr George A. Hill of Talladega County. They formed the Alabama Marble & Stone Co. in 1899, with newspaper publisher and Mayor Frank Evans of Birmingham as a major shareholder. The partners obtained modern quarrying equipment, arranged for a rail spur from the Alabama Mineral Railroad, and constructed housing and other facilities. To promote the venture, they removed large specimens of marble to be exhibited around the country. One such block— displayed in Alabama's exhibit at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York— was compared favorably to the best marble from Carrara, Italy or Paros, Greece, and reportedly generated much interest from sculptors visiting the fair.

Gantts Quarry was incorporated as a municipality in 1910, an action generally interpreted as a defense against being annexed by Sylacauga. A Gannts Quarry Post Office shared space with a small public library in a framed building which was later relocated to grounds of Sylacauga's B. B. Comer Museum and restored.

The population of Gantts Quarry peaked in the 1930 U.S. Census with 542 residents. The Great Depression suppressed the market for marble, and the town shrank to 456 by 1940.

The vacant company houses were demolished in the 1960s and the others sold to their occupants. The quarry was still active in producing structural and dimensional stone, as well as crushed stone used in roofing and terrazzo.

By 2001 no residents were reported, and the municipality lost its status officially on December 31 of that year.

Demographics

year    pop.   %change

1920 |  413 |     -   |
1930 |  542 |  +31.2% |
1940 |  456 |  -15.9% |
1950 |  426 |   -6.6% |
1960 |  238 |  -44.1% |
1970 |   63 |  -73.5% |
1980 |   71 |  +12.7% |
1990 |    7 |  -90.1% |
2000 |    0 | -100.0% |

	Talladega County
Topics	Communities \| County Commission \| Schools \| Sheriff
Municipalities	Bon Air \| Childersburg \| Lincoln \| Munford \| Oak Grove \| Oxford \| Sylacauga \| Talladega (seat) Talladega Springs \| Vincent \| Waldo \|

References

"Equal to Carrara is Alabama Marble" (July 28, 1901) The Birmingham Age-Herald, p. 15
Jacob, Judith M. (2005) "The Washington Monument A Technical History and Catalog of the Commemorative Stones" National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior
"Gantts Quarry, Alabama" (October 20, 2022) Wikipedia - accessed March 3, 2023

External links

Gannts Quarry at the Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Gantt Quarry''' was a marble quarry near [[Sylacauga]] in [[Talladega County]].
+{{Infobox City
+|name=Gantts Quarry
+|type=Town
+|logo=
+|year=1910
+|year2=–2001
+|population=0
+|mayor=-
+|fire=-
+|police=-
+|schools=Talladega County Schools
+|website=
+|map=[[File:Gantts Quarry locator map.png|225px]]
+|locate=Gantts+Quarry
+}}
-The quarry was opened in the early 1840s by Dr [[Edward Gantt]], who employed ox teams to haul slabs 9 miles to a landing on the [[Coosa River]]. He abandoned the operation in the late 1850s, unable to successfully recoup his costs without rail service.
+'''Gantts Quarry''' was a marble quarry and former community and incorporated municipality near [[Sylacauga]] in southern [[Talladega County]].
-==Washington Monument Commemorative Stones==
+The marble deposit was discovered by Dr [[Edward Gantt]] who purchased the property in [[1830]]. By 1840 Gantt was quarrying marble, and employed ox teams to haul slabs 9 miles to a landing on the [[Coosa River]]. He abandoned the operation in the late 1850s, unable to successfully recoup his costs without rail service.
-Two 2-foot by 4-foot blocks of marble from Gantt Quarry were sent to the Washington National Monument Society for installation inside the massive obelisk proposed to memorialize President George Washington, in response to the Society's resolution that, "its material is intended to be wholly American, and to be of marble and granite brought from each state, that each state may participate in the glory of contributing material as well as in funds to its construction."
-One was sent by the State of Alabama at the order of [[Governor of Alabama|Governor]] [[Henry Collier]]. It was carved with raised block letters reading, "Alabama. A Union of Equality, as adjusted by the Constitution."
+Two 2-foot by 4-foot blocks of marble from Gantt Quarry represent Alabama as "[[Washington Monument Commemorative Stones|Commemmorative Stones]]" inside the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
-The other was donated by the [[Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Alabama]]. It was inscribed with a dedication dated "Dec. 6 A.L. 5849" (''Anno Lucis'' 5849 as dated from the day God first created light, corresponding to A.D. 1849) and decorated with a masonic emblem.
+The quarry was purchased in the late 1890s by [[Amos Mylin]] and [[Alexander King]] of Pennsylvania with Dr [[George A. Hill]] of Talladega County. They formed the [[Alabama Marble & Stone Co.]] in [[1899]], with newspaper publisher and [[Mayor of Birmingham|Mayor]] [[Frank Evans]] of Birmingham as a major shareholder. The partners obtained modern quarrying equipment, arranged for a rail spur from the [[Alabama Mineral Railroad]], and constructed housing and other facilities. To promote the venture, they removed large specimens of marble to be exhibited around the country. One such block— displayed in Alabama's exhibit at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York— was compared favorably to the best marble from Carrara, Italy or Paros, Greece, and reportedly generated much interest from sculptors visiting the fair.
+Gantts Quarry was incorporated as a municipality in [[1910]], an action generally interpreted as a defense against being annexed by Sylacauga. A [[Gannts Quarry Post Office]] shared space with a small public library in a framed building which was later relocated to grounds of Sylacauga's [[B. B. Comer Museum]] and restored.
+The population of Gantts Quarry peaked in the [[1930 U.S. Census]] with 542 residents. The [[Great Depression]] suppressed the market for marble, and the town shrank to 456 by [[1940]].
+The vacant company houses were demolished in the 1960s and the others sold to their occupants. The quarry was still active in producing structural and dimensional stone, as well as crushed stone used in roofing and terrazzo.
-Both stones were carved by J. M. N. B. Nix & Co. of Wetumpka, Elmore County and displayed at the state penitentiary there before being sent to Washington D.C. via the Port of Mobile.  The blocks were received on August 6, 1850 and installed in the Washington Monument. The Alabama block was installed at the 40-foot level, and the Grand Lodge block at the 140-foot level.
+By [[2001]] no residents were reported, and the municipality lost its status officially on [[December 31]] of that year.
-==Alabama Marble & Stone Co.==
+==Demographics==
-The quarry was purchased in the late 1890s by [[Amos Mylin]] and [[Alexander King]] of Pennsylvania with Dr [[George A. Hill]] of Talladega County. They formed the [[Alabama Marble & Stone Co.]] in [[1899]], with newspaper publisher and [[Mayor of Birmingham|Mayor]] [[Frank Evans]] of Birmingham as a major shareholder. The partners obtained modern quarrying equipment, arranged for a rail spur from the [[Alabama Mineral Railroad]], and constructed housing and other facilities. To promote the venture, they removed large specimens of marble to be exhibited around the country. One such block— displayed in Alabama's exhibit at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York— was compared favorably to the best marble from Carrara, Italy or Paros, Greece, and reportedly generated much interest from sculptors visiting the fair.
+ '''year'''    '''pop.'''   '''%change'''
+|  413 |     -   |
+|  542 |  +31.2% |
+|  456 |  -15.9% |
+|  426 |   -6.6% |
+|  238 |  -44.1% |
+|   63 |  -73.5% |
+|   71 |  +12.7% |
+|    7 |  -90.1% |
+|    0 | -100.0% |
+{{Talladega County}}
 ==References==
 * "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119995666/equal-to-carrara-is-alabama-marble-gant/ Equal to Carrara is Alabama Marble]" (July 28, 1901) {{BAH}}, p. 15
 * Jacob, Judith M. (2005) "[https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/wamo/stones.pdf The Washington Monument A Technical History and Catalog of the Commemorative Stones]" National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior
+* "[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gantts_Quarry,_Alabama Gantts Quarry, Alabama]" (October 20, 2022) Wikipedia - accessed March 3, 2023
+==External links==
+* [https://loc.gov/pictures/item/al0865/ Gannts Quarry] at the Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress
-[[Category:Quarries]]
+[[Category:Gannts Quarry|*]]
-[[Category:Talladega County]]
+[[Category:1910 establishments]]
-[[Category:1840s establishments]]
+[[Category:2001 disestablishments]]
-[[Category:1850s disestablishments]]
-[[Category:1890s establishments]]

Gantts Quarry: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:54, 3 March 2023

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