List of Quarries in Alabama & Quarry
Links, Photographs and Articles

(The following list of Alabama quarries is not a complete list of all of the historical quarries in the state, only the ones I have been able to locate. If you know of more historical quarries in Alabama, please contact me. Peggy B. Perazzo)

• Alabama Quarries – Super Pages/Yellow Pages (present-day companies)
• Quarries & Mines in Alabama – Compare Mines (& quarries) in the United States on the Find the Data web site. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor)
• Alabaster, Alabama – Alabaster Quarry (present-day company) 1180 Fulton Springs Road, Alabaster, Alabama 35007; (facility) (205) 620-2670; (sales) (205) 969-2629.
• Anniston (near), Alabama - the Coldwater Mountain Quarry - McCartney Construction Co. This quarry was mentioned in “The Mineral Industry of Alabama,” 1998. [PDF]

  “Mineral exploration in Alabama continued to focus on industrial resources with several large expansions and new operations in recent years...McCartney Construction Co. recently open its Coldwater Mountain quarry near Anniston, producing crushed quartzite for aggregate....”

• Averiett Springs, Alabama – the Averiett Springs Marble Division (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916, pp. 78-80)

  Averiett Springs Division – Extent.

  “This division includes the portion of the marble belt lying between the watershed just to the southwest of Gantt’s Quarry, and the sharp bend in the marble deposits just southwest of Averiett Springs on the line between range 2 and 3, a distance of about four miles. For this portion of the marble area the valley trends nearly east and west and is approximately a half mile in width.

  Structure.

  “The fault block character of this division of the marble area, like the Gantt’s Quarry division is very evident from the non-conformity of the strike of the rock in the valley and the trend of the valley.

  “The shale and sandstone formation, which is more than a mile distant from the marble valley in the neighborhood of Gantt’s Quarry, approaches the marble belt closely at Averiett Springs. See map frontispiece.)

  “The probable structure of this division is suggested by the faint lines running through the light shaded marble area on the map of this region.

  Marble Occurrences.

  “Some of the higher elevated portions of this division are known to be underlain by dolomite, or dolomite and marble interbedded, (see Figure 7 for such conditions from sink in NW. of SE. of S. 4, T. 22-S., R. 3-E.), while the bottom lands are thought to be largely underlain by marble. The only locality in this division where marble has been exposed is in the general neighborhood of Averiett Springs on the present Hamilton place. Here a little northwest of the center of the NW. ¼ of S. 7, T. 22, R. 3-E., is a beautiful sugary textured, white marble exposed in the bed of a small branch. A prospect pit about 20 feet west of the exposure in the branch also shows the same kind of marble. Henry McCalley in his report on the Valley Regions of Alabama, Vol. II, p. 589, makes reference to the marble here mentioned in the branch. About 700 feet S. 70° E. from this exposure in the flat land near a lime sink, another prospect made by the owner of the land, shows a good grade of marble with strike as nearly as could be told from small exposure, N. 55° E., and with dip of 35° E. There is also reported to be marble in an old pit just above the crossing of the branch by the old Sylacauga road about in the center of the southern half of the SE. ¼ of S. 6, T. 22-S., R. 3-E. A prospect pit was put down to a depth of 17 feet in the center of the NE. ¼ of S. 7, T. 22, R. 3-E. without getting through the surface mantle of loose drift from the phyllite hills just to the southeast.

  “This division has been little prospected for marble, but the indications are excellent in a number of places.

  Drainage.

  "There are numerous sinks in this division through which the surface waters get into the underground drainage. This explains the absence of surface streams for the greater part of the year in this area. The underground drainage of this division largely comes to the surface at the Averiett Springs, which is located on the west side of the marble area, or from other springs in the same general neighborhood. (See Plate XXX B for the size of stream flowing from Averiett Springs in the dry season.)”

• Averiett Springs (southwest of), Alabama – the Watters Marble Division (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916, pp. 80)

  Watters Division -  Extent.

  “From the sharp bend in the marble valley, about one-half mile southwest of the Averiett Springs, to the crossing of Peckerwood Creek, (about 4 miles), the trend of the marble-bearing area is due southwest. The width of the marble-bearing rocks in this division is seldom more, and usually much less, than a quarter of a mile.

  Topography.

  “In portions of this division the area is topographically marked as a secondary valley on the eastern slope of a large dolomite valley. Just before reaching Peckerwood Creek its elevation becomes that of the general valley.

  Prospects.

  “In the Watters Division there are no natural outcrops of marble, and its presence is only inferred from the topography and from its reported occurrence in some of the wells on the Watters property in S. 23, T. 22-S., R. 2-E. In these wells, however, the marble was reported to be 60 feet below the surface. From the relationship of the phyllite on the east, it is probable that the marble in this area is for the most part deeply buried.

  West Boundary Fault.

  “In places the boundary fault on the west side of the marble was marked by massive chert boulders. In one place, SE. corner of S. 14, T. 22-S., R. 2-E., these boulders can be seen standing some 30 feet or more above the general level of the country (Plate XXIX B). This phenomenon of massive chert boulders along the fault line, has been noted elsewhere in the region where the fault has involved the siliceous Knox Dolomite.”

• Bessemer (near), Jefferson County, Alabama - Limestone Quarries and Limestone Kiln, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

  Industry

  "The town is served (1911) by the Alabama Great Southern (Queen & Crescent route), the Louisville & Nash~ ville, the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham (St Louis & San Francisco system), the Birlningham (sic) Southern, and the Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic railways.

  "Bessemer is situated in the midst of the iron ore and limestone district of Alabama, in the south part of Jones' Valley (about 3 m. wide.); to the east is the Red Ore mountain range, rich in red haematite; to the north-west are the Warrior coalfields; to the south-west, south and south-east are immense fossiliferous iron ore seams and the Cahaba coalfields; in the immediate vicinity of the city are limestone quarries, and about 18 m. north-east are the limestone kilns of Gate City."

• Bessemer, Alabama - Variegated Marble Deposit (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916)

   “Minor Marble Deposits - Variegated Marbles.

  “Besides the variegated marble from near Calera, which is described elsewhere in this bulletin* and which is of Cambrian age, there are a number of localities, especially in Jefferson and St. Clair counties, where rocks of Pelham age yield variegated marbles. In nearly every case these deposits are near the base of the Pelham formation and usually are near a fault or represent a brecciated deposit.

  (* See entry: Calera (south of east of), Shelby County, Alabama - Variegated Marbles Near Calera above.)

  “Near McCalla Station, Jefferson County

  “One of the best known of these deposits* occurs about a mile west of McCalla station in the SE. ¼ of NW. ¼ of S. 35, T. 19, R. 5-W. Another locality** is just east of Bessemer in NW. ¼ of S. 11, T. 19, R. 4-W. In both these localities the marble is highly ferruginous and locally tinged greenish.”

  (* Page 92, footnote 1: McCalley, The Valley Regions of Alabama, Pt. II, p. 337.)

  (** Page 92, footnote 2: McCalley, The Valley Regions of Alabama, Pt. II, p. 340.)

• Bibb County, Alabama - the Brierfield Quarry  (Dolomite)

According to mindat.org, “Dolomite is quarried from the Ketona Dolomite.” (at the Brierfield quarry)

• Bib County, Alabama - Bib County Marble (circa 1916) (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916, pp. 83-86)

“Bib County Marble.

 “Location.

“The semi-crystalline marble of Bibb county has long been known, and in the past considerably worked in a few localities. The chief locality of this early development was in the main deposit in S. 32, T. 24-N., R. 10-E. This locality is on the Cahaba River near Pratt’s Ferry (see sketch map, Figure 26). At this point prominent bluffs of marble form the right (the northwest) bank of the river for three-fourths of a mile, beginning about one and one-half miles below the present bridge at Pratt’s Ferry. On account of the bend in the river at the point of exposure of the marble and the gentle dip of the marble in a southeasterly direction, the deposit also shows on the left (southeast) side of the river in the same section, but to a much less extent.

“These deposits are approximately 6 miles up the Cahaba River from Centerville, and about 7 ½ miles directly south from Blocton, also about ½ mile distant from the Blocton-Centerville pike. The Eoline branch of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad could be reached by a spur track in less than 5 miles.

“The belt of marbleized limestone leaves the river in the SW. of the SW. of S. 32, and continues as a narrowing belt into the southwest portion of S. 31 adjoining, where it practically dies out. In the east-northeast direction the marbleized rock seems to be somewhat thicker, as far as exposed, but is mostly concealed for some distance after leaving the river, except in the NE. of the NE. of S. 32 - where a small branch exposes a portion of it.

Character of Marble.

“The marble exposed in the bluffs along the river has in general a light gray tone. In some layers there are a great many white calcite streaks and in much of the marble there are spots and small irregular areas of yellowish color. A portion of the marble, at least locally, shows a considerable amount of variegation due to coloring of the otherwise light gray marble by veins, streaks, and irregular masses of deep red-stained layers of variegated marble in the quarry as probably representing the same horizon as the iron-ore beds which occur in the old Milwain property about 1 ½ miles southwest of the quarry. It is known that this ore is local in its occurrence, in some places lying between Pelham and marbleized Beekmantown limestone, and in other places between Pelham and a dolomite of either Knox or Beekmantown age.

“From a rather hasty study of the marble deposits at the location of the old quarry by the river, I (the author, William F. Prouty) am led to the conclusion that the variegated marble, showing the admixture of deep red angular masses of marble with the light gray, is due to faulting, and that this extremely variegated deposit is a fault breccia.

“Mr. McCalley* refers to the red-stained

(* Page 84 footnote: Valley Regions of Alabama, Part I, p. 499.)

“A study of the marble by means of thin sections under the microscope, shows it to be of semi-crystalline character, as can be seen in Plate VII A.

“The marble takes a beautiful polish and has been in the past used for interior decoration, as well as for monumental purposes. The courthouse at Marion, Ala., is one of the buildings using material from this quarry.

Age of Marble.

“The main mass of the marble is of Pelham age, chiefly lower Pelham or Chazian, but locally the Beekmantown limestone underlying the Pelham unconformably and varying greatly in thickness, is also marbleized. This is especially the case near the center of S. 31, which adjoins the section showing the marble bluffs.

Conditions Toward The Northeast.

“There are few good exposures of the Pratt’s Ferry marbleized horizon farther to the northeast and east of this area for some distance, but it appears that the Beekmantown thickens in that direction, and that, while it is gray in color, closely resembling the Pratt’s Ferry marble, yet it is less crystalline and could not be considered a marble. In this direction also the lower portion of the Pelham seems to be seldom if ever sufficiently recrystallized to be properly called a marble.

Marble Outside The Main Deposit.

“Besides the marble in the Pelham and Beekmantown, there are two beds of light gray semi-crystalline marble, varying somewhat in thickness, but averaging not over 20 feet, which occur in the dolomite area in belts parallel with the main deposit, but some distance back from it. At one time marble was both quarried and sawed from the lower of these two beds. This lower bed of marble is well exposed a little north of the center of S. 28, T. 24-N., R. 10-E., on the Cahaba River; a little east of the center of S. 36, T. 24-N., R. 9-E., and at Avery’s bluff on the Cahaba River in the eastern portion of S. 14, T. 23-N., R. 9-E. The upper layer is exposed at the ford of Schultz Creek, in the SW. of S. 1, T. 23-N., R. 9-E. and again on Burkhalter Branch, in the NW. of the NW. OF s. 32. T. 24-N., R. 10-E. The line of approximate outcrop of these two marble beds is to be seen on the sketch map, Figure 26.

Structure.

“The main deposit of marble which is exposed in bluffs above referred to along the Cahaba River in S. 32, represents the outcrop of the western limb of a syncline or trough, which dips under the river to the southeast. The east limb of this syncline again rises to the surface, or nearly to the surface, in the distance of about a mile across the strike to the southeast before again dipping, or being cut off by a fault, (see Structure Section, Figure 27).

“The chief marble deposits of the Pratt’s Ferry district, therefore, occur in a limited portion of the western outcropping limb of a basin-like area which has practically no outcrop on the eastern side of the basin.

Thickness Main Deposit.

“In the neighborhood of the old quarry and mill, which were located on the variegated marble deposit in the NE. of the NW. of S. 32, T. 24-N., R. 10-E., the thickness of the stone which has been sufficiently metamorphosed to be classed as a marble, is not far from 225 feet.

“The marble thins to the southwest of the old quarry and becomes of poor grade towards the northeast, yet the quantity of available marble is very great.”

• Birmingham, Alabama - Alabama White Marble

  (postcard photograph Series No. 2535; Raphael Tuck & Sons, Art Publishers to Their Majesties The King and queen; Photochromed in Saxony; postmark June 8, 1909)

• Birmingham, Alabama - the Birmingham Memorial Co. (from Design Hints For Memorial Craftsmen, May 1930, Vol. 6, No. 11, pp. 27)

  The Birmingham Memorial Company was listed as one of the customers of the Mount Brothers of Memphis Missouri, who sold their Air Take-off Device used in carving cemetery stones.

• Birmingham, Alabama - Limestone Quarry on Ruffner Mountain in the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center - Quarry Trail. (A photograph of the quarry and information on the quarry trail are available on the “The Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve” section of the Bham Wiki web site.)

• Birmingham, Ruffner Mountain, Alabama – Quarry Overlook at Ruffner Mountain – “Two hikers stand at the overlook atop the limestone quarry on Sloss Peak at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve.”  (Photograph on the Encyclopedia of Alabama)

• Birmingham, Alabama - Rock Quarry today the Wildflower Garden in the Birmingham Botanical Garden. According to I Love Gardens.com, the wildflower garden was once a rock quarry. (The “I Love Gardens” link is no longer available.) <http://www.ilovegardens.com/Alabama_Gardens/alabama_gardens.html>
  <http://www.ilovegardens.com/Alabama_Gardens/alabama_gardens.html>

• Birmingham, Alabama – Sedimentary Rock Quarry in Birmingham  (Photograph in the Encyclopedia of Alabama)
  

  Sedimentary Rock Quarry in Birmingham

  “Sedimentary rock is an important component of Alabama’s industrial economy, and also forms the state’s aquifers which store underground water that is drawn for public use.”

• Birmingham, Alabama - Vulcan Materials Co., 1200 Urban Center Drive, Birmingham, AL 35242; phone: 205-298-3000 (present-day company)
• Birmingham, Alabama – Vulcan Materials Company  (The following excerpt is from the history of the “Vulcan Materials Company” section of the Encyclopedia of Alabama.)
  

  “Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials Company is the leading U.S. producer of construction aggregates, crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in building roads and commercial properties….”

• Blount Springs Rock Quarry, Falkville, AL 35622 (present-day company)
• Brownson, Alabama - Alabama Marble Company (The following information is from an advertisement in Stone: An Illustrated Magazine, Vol. XLVI, No. 3, March, 1925, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 147.)

  Alabama Marble Marble Company, New York City - San Francisco

  The Quarries which we represent are located at Brownson, Alabama. They are the only quarries in this section operating and furnishing strictly high-grade Alabama Marble. The products of these quarries have been known to the trade as Madre Cream Alabama and Madre Veined Alabama.

  The Marble is of rare quality, Cream White Background. Unsurpassed for Ecclesiastical Work. Carves beautifully. We are also in a position to furnish you with Alama Granito (Alabama Marble Granito). Our Policy: We dispose of the entire output of many quarries and act as wholesale distributors of a varied and complete stock of domestic and imported marble and stone.

  With independent manufacturers who own and operate a plant - we deal direct. (In no manner do we compete with the independent manufacturers.)

  Through this policy we have established a reputation for maintaining a fair and staple market for our materials.

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