Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-08-08
How Three Men Started an Internal
improvement.

AT CRAIasYILLE-A VALUABLE LES
SON TO THOSE WHO WANT AUGUSTA
PROSPEROUS, &C.
Correspondence of the Staunton VIND1cAToR.l
CHURCnvILLE, August 2nd.-The time
once was when some citizen or citizens OF
the Pastures occasionally contributed
a few notes to one of our county papers,
thus letting our neighbors know OF our
whereabouts and welfare, but the lntefesG
seems to have abated to a great extent,
until we are not heard from except on
picnic and such occasions. Your present
correspondent, seeing and feeling the
great need of bringing this western part
of the county more into notice. and es-
pecially bringing its mineral resources pc
fore those seeking homes, mill Sites, SeaJS
for factories and mineral benefits IN Vlr-
ginia. for which this part of the county
is noted. Iron ore is abundant, and marble
is to be found in ineXhaustlble quanJlCleS.
Some of our hunters and would-be MINER
alogists claim to have found even rlcher
minerals than these, but, like the dog ID
the manger cannot be induced to tell their
whereabouts, without being we'll PAID Tor
it, which parties owning the LANDS ana
not approaching these mineral resources
are unwilling to do. But if these rich
fields of natures products were brought
before the minds and eyes OF those VINO
are seeking homes in Virginia, every
mountain would be searched from Dottom
to top, and every stream from fountain 10
mouth to develop what natures God has
placed here for our benefit.
AS an insight into what little spark
kindleth we will look at the first finding OF
the now celebrated Craigsville marble.
Our fathers have owned these lands for
generations past, and have merely dug
out living from them, transmitting them
to their children, or like the original ow-
ners selling them to some one else coming
in for the same purpose, for mere pit
lance. 1t has been only few years SINCE
that good man, Rev. 3. Thomas, now
dead, who was disabled minister, but
could not allow his cultivated and ever
active mind to rest, turned his attention
to hunting out these hidden resources. In
his travels one day in passing the house
of Mr.. A. f. Young he sat down by
wall around the yard to rest, and CHANGED
to chip off piece of the stone, supposed
| to be limestone. He at once pronounced
it marble, and of fine quality. So he, with
| the owner of the land and relative who
| was marble cutter, went to work to de-
having
vGiJp vtie a. wcr Iu thew had 70 look to
ic wleH Mas9 for "a aid IA 'A' ''''N "
c"R H ISL ~ s' thoso ,,o11 known and en-
l4en caae III un1 Mos wra ReI, EchoIs q
eLgGeiG geh1 n Mes in + and bought
oavaoSt, w %" ~ iang ivinr aronnd The
greaG quanIi.y .. iau d ismS mavino
ta!m where ~ was isS hod ono r snd
Prices aai ab1se mnaI o ,anI bamoit to those
LUZ ,ie,e snc hi S. mds or time the mar
pMning su1n h iauI h,,t l III owarvth;no else
9ie saue da 4sa h oug nnd "nsstt1ad times
ueplesseu Wy Cn1 asiu n e tho were
aue siow wv pnugIss' s us +n atmnst every
openeu anu aat,1S SLY ,u vo than that T.
CITY III oul co Quilt rh ~ " .hons If Messrs
r seaee9 ' Pnd gu"S New Vorir Who also saw
narer y ;ts %ayeionment and fastened on
.aoney u ,os d anam - , an n"re exten-
10 lnvSt ILL., ~ anu tho H. fs If 1873 Int
s Nv ;r+ar lucy ye;ng n sauera hindered their
sno wnsei N Ie ds,n}ed bv Obstacles and
RlogresS M9t atbev yresssG the work
S h,anht f fg fhe marble
onwaao H aau ayn naun v channe1ers
l.Io ~ .;ad NV ~ Grst n,arhia withont