The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-02-22
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY RECORDS
1904

/ Words 10 the Wise.
Almost everything in Southside
Virginia needs development. that is tc
say, commonsense, scientific develop
ment. No doubt our lands produce
scarcely a third Of what they should,
and because with our comparatively
extensive methods, One-thrd affords a
good living. We have used our tim
Der as if trees weie cornstalks and
board feet grew in a season. Saw
mills have gone into the woods and
racked the heart out Of them, leaving
behind, nevertheless, excellent coun-
terfeit forests We have suffered in
our country from the malady which
was once pleasantly called an indiges-
ton Of securities. The truth is, we
have everything which accounts for
our prodigality and our chronic talk
Of hard times. Hard times is not a
phrase used by desperate men. And
the prodigal, il should be remembered,
is ore who expends a great deal for
that which is not bread He rarely
keeps his outlying fences in repair and
he never does the sort of work that Is
termed creative. John Randolph us
ed to say and nobody knew letter
that an estate in Virginia meant plen
ty Of land, labor, horses, food and
drink and not a shilling in cash. Much
Of this is true today. Certainly the
one thing necessary, both on the
small aud the large scale, is capital.
o capital, thou sovereign charm. Some
how, we have not produced suili-
GENTLY what might be diverted into
the fertilizing channels Of capital.
And it makes people sick to see the
philanthropic oil and dry-goods men
and Sunday School superintendent
Of other ATTITUDES coming down here
and picking up all the good things.
Prince Edward lies within the great
cis-montane mineral belt Of Virginia,
yet how many shafts have been sunk
within the limits of the countyor even
within half a days journey?
a very good summary Of the min
eral conditions i'm Prince Edward and
the adjacent region is to be found in
Froehlng and Robertson's Handbook
Richmond, Va 1891 on the Miner
ais and Mineral Resources Of Virgin
ia. We read this hook, and Others
equally as suggestive, and wonder
when we shall stop measuring the
depth Of our riches by that Of our
gullies.
Prince Edward forms a part Of the
great undulating plain which general
ly rises from the limit Of tidewater to
the low broken ranges Of hills that
make the outliers Of the Blue Ridge.
The region extends on the west from
the Potomac at the northern part Of
Fairfax county to the North Carolina
| line i'm the southwest corner of Pitt
sylvania county. This great area Of
crystalline rocks contains many Of the
most important minerals and ore de
posits in the State. The list includes
granite and other building stones,
slate, steatte or soapstone, mica and
accompanying miaerals, serpentine,
asbestos, limestone, copper, iron and
manganese ores, and gold asbestus oc-
ours quite extensively in pockets and
also i'm well defined veins, for instance,
at Whitehall, Buckingham county; at
the foot Of Willis Mountain; at Chula
and other points in Amelia county.
Though much less valuable than the
chrysotile variety Of asbestos, asbestus
is easily mined and prepared for mar
ket, aud for all purposes where the
strength Of the fibre is not essential,
such as in the manufacture Of fire
proof safes, paints, wall plasters, boil
er coverings, etc, ii can perfectly well
take the place Of the rarer and more
expensive chrysotile variety.
In Willis Mountain a unique gneiss
Of rich pink or purple C Tor occurs
i'm great abundance, and from its hard
ness and great durability constitutes a
valuable building material. Next to
the granite near Richmond) the fine
roofing slate beds Of Buckingham
county, especially in the neighbor-
hood Of New Canton, have been more
developed than any other building
material in the State and are Of great
importance on account Of the quality
and extent Of the deposits. The slate
splits easily and with good regularity
into sheets Of any desired thickness
Il has a fine texture, is very dense
and resists atmospheric influences
admirably.
OF the Farmville coal area l6O
square miles in extent lying III
Prince Edward, Buckingham and
Cumberland counties, number o
thin seams Of btuminous coal have
been found, and no development has
taken place, except to a very Sigh
extent on the thin seams outcroppinf
around the margin, and nothing l.
known Of the interior Of the basin
The most PROMISING portion Of TIM
area il small detached basin So
miles nth Of Farmvlle.
The occurrence Of copper ores u
, Virginia was known in very earl.
times, but no actual mining is known
to have been carried on until after 1850
The Virginia copper deposits occur II
four principal localities Of which d.