Mary Price Ratrie Greenspace

Mary Price Ratrie Greenspace. Nature's Gifts of Stone, Clay and Water. , The Mary Price Ratrie Greenspace has transformed an ordinary asphalt parking lot across the street from the Clay Center into a slice of West Virginia natural heritage. The site features stacked terraces that establish a backdrop resembling the southern Appalachian Mountains comprised of a rocky stream fed by recycled rooftop stormwater and a small forest of native plants., Stormwater moves from the adjacent building into a large cistern system and is pumped up to feed the stream and pool. During heavy rainfall, the stream will flow generously but will slow down to a trickle in a dry period. Feel free to explore by climbing the rocks and enjoying the water flowing over the waterfalls and through the stream., Sandstone , You will find golden sandstone in the stepped walls and reflection pool. Sandstone is made by silica being compressed for 200-310 million years from the weight of ancient sea bottoms and beaches. Seas and vast lakes deposit layers of sand hundreds of feet thick, creating great pressure and heat, cementing the sands into stone. Early settlers of the Kanawha Valley carved and cut this stone from river and lake banks. Below you'll see a cliff where the now shrunken rivers still flow. Local settlers cut such exposed stone into blocks to build the grand beginnings of homes, hearths, bridges and the buildings of culture and civilization. Feel free to touch the golden stone and feel the grit of the sandpaper-like walls., Limestone , Like sandstone, limestone is a sedimentary rock. However, instead of a sand origin, limestone forms from decaying sea shells and shelled creatures, which are made of calcium. The calcium builds up for hundreds of feet and becomes the hard stone of underground caves. Much of the West Virginia Capitol building is made from limestone, which is harder than some rock, but easy to cut and carve., The limestone in this greenspace is called bluestone, which is the material found within the waterfalls. Limestone gravel is also located under the boulder monument sign as a strong base to support its giant mass. That stone weighs 30,000 pounds; about the weight of six cars., Brick , The Kanawha Valley is rich with clay in the hills and river and was home to several brick mines. The method of laying brick pavement in the United States was invented by Mr. M. Levi, a Charlestonian, and a piece of it was first laid on Summers Street in 1870, as an experiment. In 1873 the entire block, closest to the Kanawha River, was paved using this method., Although paving streets with brick didn't begin until 1870, utilizing brick as a building material has been around for at least 5,000 years. The longevity bricks have indured as a building material throughout the ages is largely due to the fact that they are made from clay, a mineral that is found abundently in nature.