Graniteville, Iron County, Missouri, USAi

Regional Level Types
Graniteville	Village
Iron County	County
Missouri	State
USA	Country

The largest and most important granite quarries in the State are located at Graniteville five miles northwest of Ironton, the county seat of Iron County. As may be seen by consulting the map of the district, the granite areas in this vicinity are comparatively small, consisting of two outcrops, a half a mile apart. The color, texture and composition of the stone at the two places indicate that they belong to the same granitic mass.

The north outcrop consists of an elongated hill or ridge one and three-fourths miles long and one-fourth to three-eights of a mile wide. This granite is flanked on all sides, except the northeast, with limestone of Cambrian age. On the northeast side it grades into porphyry. The hill rises rather gradually from 100 to 130 feet above the surrounding country. The quarries on this hill produce the greater part of the monumental and dimensional granite quarried in the State.

The south outcrop is locally known as the ‘wild cat.’ It is about a half a mile long by a fourth of a mile broad. The granite is very similar to that at Graniteville. A quarry was opened on this hill several years ago, but very little stone has been taken out.

The granite of this locality has a very uniform texture and color. The essential constituents are orthoclase, quartz and biotite. The individuals of feldspar and quartz are intricately interlocked and seldom have crystal faces. The grains are of medium size. Occasional larg (sic) feldspar crystals, sometimes two inches long, occur imbedded in the granitic ground-mass, giving the granite a porphyritic texture. Occasionally, the feldspar, quartz and biotite individuals are seggregated (sic), separately, in large masses, rendering the stone unfit for structural work. The color of the granite, which is a deep red, is quite uniform throughout the different quarries. It is due to the pink feldspar and red iron oxide constituents. Most of the quartz is translucent. The biotite and hornblende have very little effect upon the color of the stone.

The preponderance of the two relatively hard minerals, feldspar and quartz, render the granite susceptible to a very high polish.

Probably one of the most striking illustrations of the way in which granite weathers occurs at Graniteville, where huge residual boulders are scattered over the surface. Just west of Graniteville these are especially picturesque and instructive, and on account of their peculiar shape are known as the ‘elephant rocks.’ (See Frontispiece.) These enormous boulders, which are from ten to twenty-five feet in diameter, have a roughly spherical or oval shape, due to weathering along the edges and corners of the blocks produced by the jointing planes. At this place the boulders occur in quite well defined rows, conforming very nearly in direction to the major system of joints. The feldspar decompose more readily than the quartz, leaving the grains of the latter protruding at the surface. The granite is frequently covered to a depth of from one to three feet with quartz grains which were loosened when the feldspar was decomposed. Upon the weathered surface and along joints and beds, kaolin, formed by the decomposition of the feldspar, frequently occurs, partially filling the space originally occupied by the feldspar.

Examples of all stages of weathering, from that in which the surface joints are just being opened through decomposition, to that in which the blocks between the joints are entirely rounded, may be seen in this area. The sap rarely extends beyond a few inches into the stone.

The quarries are being operated at this place by the Schneider Granite Company, the Syenite Granite Company and Sheahan Bros.

The granite in this area has the deepest red color of any in the State. Both in texture and color, it is very uniform in all the quarries and throughout the area. Granite blocks for any purpose and of any desired dimensions can be obtained. The size of the blocks is limited only by the carrying capacity of the derricks. For monuments this granite is very popular and is shipped to practically every State in the Union, including those in New England where an abundance of excellent granite is quarried. Monuments, in which the die is Missouri red granite, and the cap and base a light gray eastern granite, are frequently constructed. This makes a very attractive combination.

The granite takes an excellent rock faced finish and when alternated with polished courses in the walls of buildings it has a striking appearance. It takes an excellent and lasting polish.

Up to 1889, these quarries did a very large business in cut stone work, but in that year the employees went out on a strike, since which time a comparatively small amount of the stone has been cut or polished.

The first granite paving blocks used in St. Louis were furnised (sic) by Phillip Schneider, about 1877, and were laid at the end of the Third street bridge. Since that time, these quarries have produced millions of paving blocks, which have been used chiefly in St. Louis. The partially decomposed boulders, lying upon the surface, were the first to be used. These were comparatively soft and proved very unsatisfactory. At present (circa 1904), none but the fresh, unaltered granite is used. Comparatively few blocks are now being made. Flagging and curbing have been produced to a considerable extent and used in St. Louis. For these purposes it is very durable, being practically indestructible.