Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

The collection is without restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of the Albemarle Soapstone Company, 1885-1907 and 1919-1936, Accession # 11396, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These records were purchased by the University of Virginia Library from the Book Broker, Charlottesville, Virginia, on April 10, 1998.

Biographical/Historical Information

The massive deposit of soapstone known as the "Albemarle-Nelson Belt," lying between Lynchburg and Charlottesville, with an exposed section near Schuyler, has a greater percentage of workable stone than any other known deposit in the world. By 1900, Nelson County had six working soapstone quarries. In 1893, the Virginia Soapstone Company was incorporated with Max Wiehle as president, and had opened their quarry and mill to work the deposit at Schuyler, Nelson County.

The Albemarle Soapstone Company, in Alberene, Albemarle County, originated from the partnership of James Serene, Brooklyn, New York, and Daniel J. Carroll, a box manufacturer. Having located a large soapstone deposit near Johnson's Mill Gap, Albemarle County, they began development of their "Alberene" stone in 1883. The name of Alberene derived from a combination of Albemarle and Serene, and was coined by Daniel J. Carroll. The village of Johnson's Mill Gap was renamed Alberene. The village grew into a company town complete with a company store selling all sorts of goods.

In 1904, Virginia Soapstone and Albemarle Soapstone became fully merged under the name Virginia Soapstone Company, and by 1916 they became part of the Virginia Alberene Company. After the onset of the Depression, the assets of Virginia Alberene were taken over by the Alberene Stone Corporation of Virginia, which remained in business until the Schuyler plant closed in 1973. It reopened in 1976 with Vance Wilkins as the new owner and Ken Carroll as the general manager. In 1986, the plant was modernized by new owners, the Finnish Soapstone Company, and was renamed The New Alberene Stone Company.

Scope and Content Information

Papers include correspondence, orders and invoices, bound volumes, receipts and accounts, bank checks, company store scrip and scrip receipts, drawings and diagrams of products, and some of the records of the postmaster at the Alberene Post Office, Alberene, Virginia. A large amount of this material is dated 1906-1907, and is concerned with the purchases made by the Albemarle Soapstone Company through William L. Harrison. Earlier material is more likely to consist of orders from other businesses for soapstone products. Also present are eleven time books of the company, which list the names of the employees for the period 1891-1895.

The correspondence files are chiefly concerned with communications about orders and sales between James H. Serene at the home office, 4 and 6 Peck Slip, New York City, George M. Lee at the office and salesroom in Chicago, and the soapstone quarries in Alberene, Virginia. Other letters contain inquiries about the soapstone and orders for specified products. Correspondence of a later date, ca. 1907, include letters from Richard Flynn, from the New York City office, and William L. Harrison, Alberene, Virginia.