Alberene Soapstone Company

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The Alberene Soapstone Company is the operator of a 9,000 acre soapstone quarry in Schuyler, Virginia founded in 1883. The quarry was one of the largest in the United States at the time.

The company was purchased in 2014 by Polycor, a Quebec-based firm. [1]


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History

The company was founded by New York businessmen James H. Serene and Daniel Carroll as well as John Porter purchased 1,955 acres by Beaver Dam Creek for $30,000. The name Alberene Soapstone Company dates back to 1890, incorporating Serene's name. A company town formed around the operations. A three-story home designed by C. Wellesley Smith was constructed by the company Walters and Vandergrift at the turn of the century and was a copy of a home on Old Ivy Road called Crestwood. [2]

Soon after the company merged with a rival, Virginia Soapstone Company, and with that came use of a mill in Schuyler. In the 1920's the company employed over 2,000 people.

The company was purchased by the firm Georgia Marble in 1950. Hurricane Camille in 1969 flooded the site, rendering it inoperable for many years. It closed in 1975. A Finnish company, Tuliviki, purchased the site in the 1980's. Investors based in Charlottesville bought it from them and sought to return the quarry to operations. [1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Web. Canadian stone producer revives American soapstone quarry, Heather Fiore, News Article, Stone World, April 1, 2014, retrieved September 22, 2020.
  2. Web. The History of a Hauntingly Beautiful House, Heather Harris, News Article, Rural Virginian, May 8, 2013, retrieved September 22, 2020.

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