Limestone mills; Employees; Stone-cutting tools--Angle grinders; Stone-cutting tools--Rip saws; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
Although saws were often employed to make long vertical cuts into the stone, some, such as the one pictured here were enlisted as angle grinders to make smaller cuts into larger pieces of stone.
Stone carving; Employees--Stone carvers; Limestone mills; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
Here, stone carvers can be seen putting the finishing touches on some cherubs adorning panels intended for the facade of a building. Notice the man sitting on an old nail keg. Typically, carvers did not sit but stood.
Limestone mills; Quarries and quarrying; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
An exterior shot of the factory, probably dating from the late 19th century. The block is painted with the number that corresponds to the drafting ticket for the mill.
Employees; Limestone mills; Quarries and quarrying; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
In this exterior shot of an early limestone mill, several figures can be seen posing in front of the workshops in the background. Stacked stone in the gang saws inside bar on the left onto diamond saw, which were inverted for the planer.
Steam power plants; Quarries and quarrying; Limestone mills; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
The advent of steam registered an enormous impact on the stone industry as steam power was harnessed to existing technologies ranging from the derrick to the saw. By the time this image was taken (ca. 1880), steam had already made deep inroads into...
Dimension stone; Planing-machines; Employees; Limestone mills; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
The planer mill had metal (usually zinc) patterns with each ticket, which specified the size and measurements. You may be able to determine who is working here based on the way the workers are dressed. The man in the white shirt may be quality...
Limestone mills; Employees; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
Pictured here are slabs of limestone recently arrived from the quarry. Notice the several gang saws in the background used to cut larger pieces into more manageable ones.
Limestone mills; Quarries and quarrying; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
Pictured here is the Matthew Brothers stone plant which operated from 1862 until 1978 when it was sold to the Bybee Stone Company, which is still in operation in Ellettsville.
Employees; Limestone mills; Railroads; Dimension stone; Matthews Brothers Stone Company
An interior shot of the Matthews Stone Company factory. Notice the railroad cars in the foreground used to transport stone directly in and out of the factory floor.
