There are few industries that have had as historic and enduring effect on architecture across the nation as the marble industry of East Tennessee. SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO:
Susan W. Knowles, PhD, Digital Humanities Research Fellow at the Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University.
OF STRUCTURE AND SOCIETY: TENNESSEE MARBLE IN CIVIC ARCHITECTURE, UNPUBLISHED DISSERTATION, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY, 2011
A major source for this presentation ONCE REFERRED TO AS “PINK GRANITE”
THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS:
• RAISE AN AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF “TENNESSEE MARBLE” TO EAST TENNESSEE
(Especially Knoxville)
• NOT TO TAKE IT FOR GRANITE GRANTED IN TENNESSEE THERE’S SIPIN’ WHISKEY, COUNTRY MUSIC, DOLLY PARTON, MOON PIES, AND GOO GOO CLUSTERS, BUT
MARBLE IS TENNESSEE’S MOST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED NATURAL RESOURCE
• LISTED AMONG TENNESSEE’S TOP “MINERAL” RESOURCES ARE: COPPER, ZINC, TITANIUM AND LIMESTONE
• THE ABOVE ARE ALL ELEMENTS THAT FORM MINERALS; EXCEPT LIMESTONE WHICH IS A “ROCK” – NOT A MINERAL.
• HOWEVER, HIDDEN WITHIN THE CATEGORY CALLED LIMESTONE IS “TENNESSEE MARBLE”.
• “TENNESSEE MARBLE” IS LIMESTONE, BUT DUE TO ITS SPECIAL PROPERTIES SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED SEPARATELY.
Density Compressive Strength Water Absorption Kg/m3 (Min.) MPa (Min.) Wt. % (Max.)
Tennessee Marble; NA 103 - 126 0.035 – 0.09 (Av. 0.06) Dale; US Bur. Standards (1924)
Tennessee Marble; 2691.1 Av. 99.165 0.066 Tenn. Marble Co. (2016)
Type III; ASTM C-568 2560 55 3.00 Type II; ASTM C-568 2160 28 7.50 Type I; ASTM C-568 1760 12 12.00
Data adapted from Dale (1924), Tennessee Marble Company (2016) and C 568-08a Standard Specifications for Limestone Dimension Stone, ASTM International (2015).
Chemically “Tennessee Marble” is considered a high calcium limestone (> 95% CaCO3). According to Dale (1924) an average composition for “Tennessee Marble” is:
CaCO3 = 97.5% average SiO2 = < 0.2% MgCO3 = < 0.2% Fe2O3 = 0.17% in light-gray stone to 0.4% in dark stone. 1Mpa = 20,885psf (Gives the marble its shades of pink and brownish red) EXAMPLES
• Cedar Red • Light Pink EXAMPLES
• Light Gray • Mottled Rose “DEEP TIME” HISTORY OF TENNESSEE MARBLE Involved:
• PLATE TECTONICS ~ 470 Ma – 250 Ma
• A SHALLOW SEA CALLED IAPETUS
• A REEF ~ 300’ THICK AND ~ 100 mi LONG
• A SEDIMENTARY ROCK CALLED THE HOLSTON FORMATION WAS DEPOSITED PLATE TECTONICS
1.1 GA 750 Ma
SUPERCONTINENT RODINIA FORMED. RODINIA BREAKS UP;
OLDEST ROCKS IN TENNESSEE IAPETUS SEA FORMS (GRENVILLE MTN. BELT) PLATE TECTONICS
IAPETUS BEGINS CLOSING FORMING SUPERCONTENT PANGEA ~475 MA After Walker, et al. 1980) THE REEF
• A CORE OF ANIMALS – MOSTLY BRYOZOANS • (commonly known as “moss animals”)
• FLANKS OF LIMY SAND (LIGHT PINK MARBLE)
• A MASS ~ 300 FEET THICK
• IN STRIKE BELTS EXTENDING THROUGH: BLOUNT, KNOX, AND HAWKINS COUNTIES REEF CORE AND FLANK ENVIRONMENTS
After Walker & Ferrigno, 1973 BRYOZOAN REEF PLATE TECTONICS
300 – 250 MA
ALLEGHANIAN OROGENY TODAY
BREAK-UP OF PANGEA 228 MA TO THE PRESENT
MARBLE
TYPICAL CROSS SECTION SKETCH Ridges and Valleys formed on tilted rock formations (NOT TO SCALE) KNOXVILLE BELT
C.H. Gordon (1924) FRIENDSVILLE BELT
C.H. Gordon (1924)
Unknown quarry circa 1900’s HAULING MARBLE by Lloyd Branson 1910
Won the gold medal at Knoxville's Appalachian Exposition FIRST KNOWN USE
RAMSEY HOUSE, KNOXVILLE CONSTRUCTED OF TENNESSEE MARBLE BY THOMAS HOPE IN 1797 FIRST PUBLISHED RECOGNITION - 1810’S
Kain, J. H., 1818, “Remarks on the Mineralogy and Geology of the Northwestern part of the State of Virginia and the Eastern part of the State of Tennessee.” American Journal of Science I, no. 1: 60- 67. In 1814 U.S. Congressman John Sevier, first governor of Tennessee, extended the potential market for the stone when he took a sample to Giovanni Andrei, one of the two Italian artisans at work on sculptural decoration at the U.S. Capitol. • In 1831 Tennessee’s first State Geologist, Gerard Troost, presented a survey report on the State’s mineral deposits.
• This report was the stimulus for a commercial marble industry.
• 1838 Orville Rice and S.D. Mitchel founded the Rogersville Marble Company.
• 1851 Hugh Sissons and William Dougherty of Philadelphia opened another quarry in Hawkins County to supply marble for the U.S. Capitol (~ half of the interior marble in the Capitol is from Hawkins County). OTHERS INVOLVED WITH TENNESSEE MARBLE FAME:
• F.C. ANDERSON, W.J. DONALDSON & S.A. RODGERS = CANDORO
• J.J. CRAIG FAMILY
• MONICA GAWET
• C.H. GORDON
• JOHN HASSON
• J.B. JONES FAMILY
• MALCOM RICE
• C.W. ROSS
• JAMES SLOAN
• JOHN WILLIAMS BY 1850’s “TENNESSEE MARBLE” WAS THE STONE OF CHOICE FOR FEDERAL BUILDINGS
THREE SIGNIFICANT INTERIORS:
• WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT
• US CAPITOL EXTENSION
• TENNESSEE STATE CAPITOL THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT Governor Trousdale selected a 2’ X 4’ block of Hawkins County dark pink marble for Tennessee’s “Memorial” stone in the Washington National Monument. It was contracted and paid for by the General Assembly. KNOXVILLE RECOGNIZED AS THE MARBLE CITY
BY 1890’S KNOXVILLE BUSINESSES INCL:
MARBLE CITY HAT COMPANY
MARBLE CITY FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY
“THE MARBLE CITY” IRON STOVE 1856 NEWSPAPER AD THE MARBLE INDUSTRY BOOM 1923
• OVER 20 MARBLE COMPANIES WITH QUARRIES IN OPERATION IN EAST TENNESSEE
• 1923 CONVENTION – NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARBLE DEALERS IN KNOXVILLE THREE LEADING STATES IN MARBLE PRODUCTION:
TENNESSEE, *VERMONT AND *GEORGIA • RANKING HAS CHANGED MANY TIMES OVER HISTORY • TENNESSEE HAS LED SEVERAL TIMES
• A LAMENT FROM ELDREDGE JACOBS, VERMONT’S STATE GEOLOGIST:
“For many years Vermont stood first in marble production. In 1939 she yielded priority to Tennessee on account of the latter’s large contracts of exterior marble for the National Gallery of Art, at Washington, D.C.”
* True Marble KNOXVILLE STILL THINKS MARBLE KNOXVILLE STILL THINKS MARBLE WHERE CAN YOU FIND TENNESSEE MARBLE?
A FEW EXAMPLES: TENNESSEE STATE CAPITOL – 1850’S US CAPITOL JAMES BLACKSTONE MEMORIAL LIBRARY
BRANFORD, CT – INTERIOR & EXTERIOR OF TENNESSEE MARBLE CONSTRUCTED IN 1896 MONTANA STATE CAPITOL - 1899 MORGAN LIBRARY, NYC - 1906 APPALACHIAN EXPOSITION
KNOXVILLE, TN - 1910 Lions, “Patience” and “Fortitude”, New York City Public Library, New York, NY, by E. C. Potter – 1911. FIREMEN’S MEMORIAL, NYC - 1912 GRAND CENTRAL STATION, NYC -- 1913 GRAND CENTRAL STATION, NYC GRAND CENTRAL STATION, NYC SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL -- 1915 J.J. HILL RESEARCH LIBRARY AND ST. PAUL MN PUBLIC LIBRARY -- 1917 UNION STATION, TORONTO, CANADA - 1920 LEGISLATIVE BLDG., MANITOBA, CANADA - 1920 POST OFFICE & FEDERAL COURT, KNOXVILLE, TN -- 1934 Albert Milani – 1934
Candoro Marble Eagles, Federal Post Office and Court House, Knoxville, TN, by Albert Milani - 1934 ARMY-NAVY NURSE’S MEMORIAL
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETARY WEST WING, NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, DC – 1941 & 1978 The legendary Malcom Rice (1898-1997) KNOXVILLE MUSEUM OF ART -- 1990 US AIR & SPACE MUSEUM, DC NEWSEUM, DC --2008 OTHER NOTABLE EXAMPLES:
• BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY – 1895 • BALTIMORE CITY HALL – 1877 • SOUTH CAROLINA CAPITOL – 1850’S • HERMITAGE HOTEL, NASHVILLE – 1910 • KENTUCKY STATE CAPITOL – 1910 • WISCONSIN STATE CAPITOL – 1917 • US COURTHOUSE, NEW HAVEN, CT – 1919 • CANDORO MARBLE CO. OFFICE – 1923 • FRIST CENTER (former Post Office), NASHVILLE - 1934 CRITERIA:
• must have a cultural history spanning a significant time;
• needs to have been utilized in noteworthy works – either buildings, sculpture, or in a utilitarian application;
• should have relatively wide use – preferably international;
• should be recognized as a cultural icon such as having a national identity NOMINATION FOR TENNESSEE MARBLE AS A
is in process:
Byerly, D.W. and Knowles, S.W. (in press), Tennessee Marble: A Potential Global Heritage Stone Resource, Episodes, Journal of International Geoscience, International Union of Geological Sciences. THERE ARE VESTIGES OF THE “GLORY DAYS” CANDORO MARBLE CO. GRAY–KNOX MARBLE CO. KNOXVILLE CITY FLAG
1896 • Designed by artist Lloyd Branson (His prize was $100) •Flown at the Tennessee Centennial & International Exposition – Nashville, 1897
• Note the symbolism on the flag:
• Blue Corner – Loyalty • Red Corner – Bravery • White Center – Faithful • White Horizontal – Marble • Black Horizontal – Coal • Gold Wheel of Progress • Marble Quarry Derricks • Picks – Mining • Factory – Manufacturing • Locomotive – Transportation • Stars = Wards • Corn & Wheat - Agriculture