Fredericksburg Granite

Fredericksburg Granite. Fredericksburg: Timeless.. , Fredericksburg is situated on the geologic boundary between the Piedmont region and the Coastal Plain. Here there are huge deposits of granite, attractive to both builders and architects. In the 1840s, canal builders used this metamorphic material extensively, quarrying it near job sites and floating it by boat to other sites as construction moved upstream. Getting such heavy material into town over poor roads, however, proved a challenge., In 1901, the partnership of E.J. Cartright and J.H. Davis obtained permission to use the existing canal (behind you) to float stone from the upriver quarries to their stonecutting facility (to your right, where the houses are). By 1906, there were six quarries in operation and builders had a ready supply of granite, which is evident on nearby houses, prominent commercial buildings, and as curbing along downtown streets., [Captions:] , These postcards of the Meditation Rock, which is on the hill in front of you, shows the granite works shed in the background (which would have been in this area). These postcards provided courtesy of the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center., Granite blocks were cut loose by drilling holes into the bedrock and wedging or blasting the desired piece free., This granite canal lock was constructed in conjunction with a dam, to feed water into a section of the Rappahannock Navigation System., Dressed stone provided a durable material for entire buildings as well as elegant architectural features., In 1903, this stone, and nine others like it, were placed on local battlefields by James Power Smith, former aide-de-camp to Stonewall Jackson. These materials were cut in the nearby work sheds of Cartright and Davis.