‘The Perfect Stone’

By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

From the Ohio counties of Adams, Scioto, Pike, and Ross comes the perfect stone – Buena Vista Freestone, named for a village in Scioto County. The stone’s grains are finer than sandstone and intermingled with shale, siltstone, and sandstone layers. It presents a “drab” color with blue-gray hues to tan or brown.

Corbett Phipps, a resident, retired teacher, farmer, youth advocate, and 4-H advisor, presented on “The Perfect Stone” at The Eulett Center of The Nature Conservancy on Thursday, April 25. Chris Bedel, Preserve Director of The Cincinnati Museum, introduced Phipps and emphasized the significance of community involvement in conservation efforts.

The Freestone was one of the earliest rocks to be quarried in Ohio, starting in 1814. Because it was easy to extract, transport, shape, and cut in any direction, it could be used far beyond the rural localities where it was quarried. Phipps noted that a chemical analysis of the stone showed that heat from the highest-produced fires did not damage the stone or cause it to crumble. Freestone was used following the Chicago fire in the 1800s to help rebuild buildings. Phipps cited another study that showed the crushing pressure of Freestone to be 101,000 pounds, proving the stone the most durable.

Many architects favored Freestone, which is used for buildings, canal structures, fence posts, and laundry tubs in the U.S. and Canada.

Phipps, who has visited the area in Buena Vista to observe the rock on a few occasions, described how the rock was hewn from cliff ledges and the evolution of drilling techniques to move the stones. He shared photographs of past visits to the area.

The Freestone quarries opened in Ohio in the 1800s. Phipps said, “It was an intensive, backbreaking job.” Freestone was transported by railroad freight cars or barges to the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Ohio River. Phipps noted the importance of understanding the area’s geology.

The availability of concrete and other modern building materials would eventually decrease the usage of Freestone, and most of the southern Ohio quarries ended by 1914. Phipps reported that the McDermott Mine in Scioto County is still active and runs two days a week.

Phipps plans to lead a hike next spring for those interested in Buena Vista’s unique geological features.

David Saja, Ph. D., of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Curator of Mineralogy, summarized Buena Vista Freestone as “the perfect rock, at the perfect location at the perfect time.”

(Sources for the article – Corbett Phipps presentation and cmnh.org)