Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone — is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana, USA, between the cities of Bloomington and Bedford.
Bedford, Indiana, has been noted to have the highest quality quarriedlimestone in the United States. Salem limestone, like all limestone, is a rock primarily formed of calcium carbonate. The limestone was deposited over millions of years as marine fossils decomposed at the bottom of a shallow inland sea which covered most of the present-day Midwestern United States during the Mississippian Period.
History
Native Americans were the first people to discover limestone in Indiana. Not long after they arrived, American settlers used this rock around their windows and doors and for memorials around the towns. The first quarry was started in 1827, and by 1929 Hoosier quarries yielded 12,000,000ft3 (340,000 cubic meters) of usable stone. The expansion of the railroads brought great need for limestone to build bridges and tunnels and Indiana was the place to get it.
Before becoming a territory, varying cultures of indigenous peoples and historic Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years. Since its founding as a territory, settlement patterns in Indiana have reflected regional cultural segmentation present in the Eastern United States; the state's northernmost tier was settled primarily by people from New England and New York, Central Indiana by migrants from the Mid-Atlantic states and from adjacent Ohio, and Southern Indiana by settlers from the Southern states, particularly Kentucky and Tennessee.
Though soon outclassed by newer vessels, Indiana was to enjoy a substantial 36-year career, a highlight of which was her transportation of United States President Ulysses S. Grant on the first leg of his celebrated 1877–78 world tour. After 24 years of transatlantic crossings, Indiana was sold for Pacific service, before being requisitioned as a troopship for service during the Spanish–American War. She was wrecked off Isla Santa Margarita, Mexico, in 1909.
Development
The four Pennsylvania class liners were constructed at a cost of $520,000 each by William Cramp & Sons on behalf of the American Steamship Company (ASC), a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Railroad intended to utilize the vessels to bring European immigrants direct to Philadelphia, thus ensuring the company a steady stream of customers. In recognition of this purpose, the four ships—Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio—were named after the four states serviced by the Railroad. Design of the ships was entrusted to Charles H. Cramp of the Cramp & Sons shipyard, and Barnabas H. Bartol, a director of the ASC.
For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture.
For more information on the history and impact of Indiana limestone, visit the Indiana Limestone Institute of America: iliai.com.
To learn more about the history of the limestone industry in Southern Indiana, watch WTIU's documentary, Cutters of Stone, available in WTIU Passport.
published: 23 Mar 2017
Indiana Limestone Building Material | History | Quarrying | Fabrication
Indiana Limestone is one of America's most important building materials. For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture. This video gives additional details on the history, quarrying, fabrication, and use of this natural building stone.
Video produced by Construction Marketing Inc. Construction Marketing Inc is a full-service marketing agency serving the construction industry exclusively. We know construction and marketing. We provide the following services for construction industry companies: Video Production, photography, branding, website design and development, SEO, pay-per-click, graphic design, and more.
Visit us online if you need marketing services for the construction indust...
published: 20 Jun 2014
Indiana Limestone - From Quarry to Installation. The Building Blocks of America
Visit https://www.polycor.com/ for more details on North American stone and dimension stone quarrying.
The legenary Polycor quarries in southern Indiana have provided a distinctive limestone stone for an amazing number of the U.S.'s most noted monuments and buildings such as the Pentagon, the National Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center. Included among them is New York’s most famous structure, and long one of its tallest buildings; The Empire State Building which is composed of 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone, from the Empire Quarry in Oolitic, Indiana.
The most iconic building stone in America began quarrying operations in the 1880's. Today the highest level extraction techniques and modern technology are being employed that allow Polycor to quarry more than 2 million cubic feet o...
published: 17 May 2021
Indiana Limestone Vanderbilt Classic Product Video
Vanderbilt Classic is a sawn veneer of genuine, timeless Indiana Limestone. The strong, clean look of real limestone is ideal for any design. The veneers are made of the same naturally durable and high-quality raw materials seen on our nation’s most treasured landmarks. Our Vanderbilt Classic Veneers are available in the standard sizes of 4", 8", 12", and 16" heights by 24" in length, as well as 36" stretcher and banding pieces. They can also be in smooth or split-face and come in full-color blend or grey. This alluring natural stone is immediately available, packaged ready to set, and easily trimmed to fit corners, doors, and windows. Contact your Indiana Limestone Company Regional Sales Representative today or visit our website, www.indianalimestonecompany.com.
published: 28 Jul 2016
Hidden Places: Indiana's Limestone Quarries
South Central Indiana is world famous for its limestone. Ahead in our Hidden Places series we take you to a quarry that is preserved just like it was during the peak of limestone production in the 1920s.
For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture.
For mor...
For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture.
For more information on the history and impact of Indiana limestone, visit the Indiana Limestone Institute of America: iliai.com.
To learn more about the history of the limestone industry in Southern Indiana, watch WTIU's documentary, Cutters of Stone, available in WTIU Passport.
For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture.
For more information on the history and impact of Indiana limestone, visit the Indiana Limestone Institute of America: iliai.com.
To learn more about the history of the limestone industry in Southern Indiana, watch WTIU's documentary, Cutters of Stone, available in WTIU Passport.
Indiana Limestone is one of America's most important building materials. For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry an...
Indiana Limestone is one of America's most important building materials. For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture. This video gives additional details on the history, quarrying, fabrication, and use of this natural building stone.
Video produced by Construction Marketing Inc. Construction Marketing Inc is a full-service marketing agency serving the construction industry exclusively. We know construction and marketing. We provide the following services for construction industry companies: Video Production, photography, branding, website design and development, SEO, pay-per-click, graphic design, and more.
Visit us online if you need marketing services for the construction industry:
Website: https://www.construction.marketing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/constrmarketing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/construction-marketing/
Indiana Limestone is one of America's most important building materials. For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture. This video gives additional details on the history, quarrying, fabrication, and use of this natural building stone.
Video produced by Construction Marketing Inc. Construction Marketing Inc is a full-service marketing agency serving the construction industry exclusively. We know construction and marketing. We provide the following services for construction industry companies: Video Production, photography, branding, website design and development, SEO, pay-per-click, graphic design, and more.
Visit us online if you need marketing services for the construction industry:
Website: https://www.construction.marketing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/constrmarketing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/construction-marketing/
Visit https://www.polycor.com/ for more details on North American stone and dimension stone quarrying.
The legenary Polycor quarries in southern Indiana have p...
Visit https://www.polycor.com/ for more details on North American stone and dimension stone quarrying.
The legenary Polycor quarries in southern Indiana have provided a distinctive limestone stone for an amazing number of the U.S.'s most noted monuments and buildings such as the Pentagon, the National Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center. Included among them is New York’s most famous structure, and long one of its tallest buildings; The Empire State Building which is composed of 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone, from the Empire Quarry in Oolitic, Indiana.
The most iconic building stone in America began quarrying operations in the 1880's. Today the highest level extraction techniques and modern technology are being employed that allow Polycor to quarry more than 2 million cubic feet of high-quality Indiana limestone per year for public buildings and private residences alike. Take a tour with us to witness first-hand the quarrying operations and technologies that sets Polycor apart from any other company. See how the raw blocks of stone are transformed into various sizes and finishes as well as the techniques employed for installing vertical and horizontal stone implements using various anchors and mortars, as well as what substrates and back up materials are used.
This iconic American stone, often referred to as the 'Building Block of America', is quarried in the nation's heartland in Bloomington and Bedford, Indiana. From Chicago to New York City to the capital buildings of nearly every state in the U.S., this legendary stone grounds skylines, monuments and universities across the country. And it continues to do so to this day, after nearly 2 centuries of continual dimension stone quarrying operations in these fascinating deposits where ancient marine organisms solidified millions of years ago to form a limestone of the greatest purity on earth.
Known for its uniformity and consistency, Indiana limestone is available in five varieties plus Full Color Blend, a natural, full range compilation of warm buff colors and medium gray tones.
Learn more about Polycor's Indiana Limestone here: https://www.polycor.com/stones/?section=limestone
Visit https://www.polycor.com/ for more details on North American stone and dimension stone quarrying.
The legenary Polycor quarries in southern Indiana have provided a distinctive limestone stone for an amazing number of the U.S.'s most noted monuments and buildings such as the Pentagon, the National Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center. Included among them is New York’s most famous structure, and long one of its tallest buildings; The Empire State Building which is composed of 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone, from the Empire Quarry in Oolitic, Indiana.
The most iconic building stone in America began quarrying operations in the 1880's. Today the highest level extraction techniques and modern technology are being employed that allow Polycor to quarry more than 2 million cubic feet of high-quality Indiana limestone per year for public buildings and private residences alike. Take a tour with us to witness first-hand the quarrying operations and technologies that sets Polycor apart from any other company. See how the raw blocks of stone are transformed into various sizes and finishes as well as the techniques employed for installing vertical and horizontal stone implements using various anchors and mortars, as well as what substrates and back up materials are used.
This iconic American stone, often referred to as the 'Building Block of America', is quarried in the nation's heartland in Bloomington and Bedford, Indiana. From Chicago to New York City to the capital buildings of nearly every state in the U.S., this legendary stone grounds skylines, monuments and universities across the country. And it continues to do so to this day, after nearly 2 centuries of continual dimension stone quarrying operations in these fascinating deposits where ancient marine organisms solidified millions of years ago to form a limestone of the greatest purity on earth.
Known for its uniformity and consistency, Indiana limestone is available in five varieties plus Full Color Blend, a natural, full range compilation of warm buff colors and medium gray tones.
Learn more about Polycor's Indiana Limestone here: https://www.polycor.com/stones/?section=limestone
Vanderbilt Classic is a sawn veneer of genuine, timeless Indiana Limestone. The strong, clean look of real limestone is ideal for any design. The veneers are ma...
Vanderbilt Classic is a sawn veneer of genuine, timeless Indiana Limestone. The strong, clean look of real limestone is ideal for any design. The veneers are made of the same naturally durable and high-quality raw materials seen on our nation’s most treasured landmarks. Our Vanderbilt Classic Veneers are available in the standard sizes of 4", 8", 12", and 16" heights by 24" in length, as well as 36" stretcher and banding pieces. They can also be in smooth or split-face and come in full-color blend or grey. This alluring natural stone is immediately available, packaged ready to set, and easily trimmed to fit corners, doors, and windows. Contact your Indiana Limestone Company Regional Sales Representative today or visit our website, www.indianalimestonecompany.com.
Vanderbilt Classic is a sawn veneer of genuine, timeless Indiana Limestone. The strong, clean look of real limestone is ideal for any design. The veneers are made of the same naturally durable and high-quality raw materials seen on our nation’s most treasured landmarks. Our Vanderbilt Classic Veneers are available in the standard sizes of 4", 8", 12", and 16" heights by 24" in length, as well as 36" stretcher and banding pieces. They can also be in smooth or split-face and come in full-color blend or grey. This alluring natural stone is immediately available, packaged ready to set, and easily trimmed to fit corners, doors, and windows. Contact your Indiana Limestone Company Regional Sales Representative today or visit our website, www.indianalimestonecompany.com.
South Central Indiana is world famous for its limestone. Ahead in our Hidden Places series we take you to a quarry that is preserved just like it was during the...
South Central Indiana is world famous for its limestone. Ahead in our Hidden Places series we take you to a quarry that is preserved just like it was during the peak of limestone production in the 1920s.
South Central Indiana is world famous for its limestone. Ahead in our Hidden Places series we take you to a quarry that is preserved just like it was during the peak of limestone production in the 1920s.
For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture.
For more information on the history and impact of Indiana limestone, visit the Indiana Limestone Institute of America: iliai.com.
To learn more about the history of the limestone industry in Southern Indiana, watch WTIU's documentary, Cutters of Stone, available in WTIU Passport.
Indiana Limestone is one of America's most important building materials. For almost two hundred years, Indiana limestone has shaped Southern Indiana industry and provided "America's building stone," iconic in US architecture. This video gives additional details on the history, quarrying, fabrication, and use of this natural building stone.
Video produced by Construction Marketing Inc. Construction Marketing Inc is a full-service marketing agency serving the construction industry exclusively. We know construction and marketing. We provide the following services for construction industry companies: Video Production, photography, branding, website design and development, SEO, pay-per-click, graphic design, and more.
Visit us online if you need marketing services for the construction industry:
Website: https://www.construction.marketing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/constrmarketing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/construction-marketing/
Visit https://www.polycor.com/ for more details on North American stone and dimension stone quarrying.
The legenary Polycor quarries in southern Indiana have provided a distinctive limestone stone for an amazing number of the U.S.'s most noted monuments and buildings such as the Pentagon, the National Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center. Included among them is New York’s most famous structure, and long one of its tallest buildings; The Empire State Building which is composed of 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone, from the Empire Quarry in Oolitic, Indiana.
The most iconic building stone in America began quarrying operations in the 1880's. Today the highest level extraction techniques and modern technology are being employed that allow Polycor to quarry more than 2 million cubic feet of high-quality Indiana limestone per year for public buildings and private residences alike. Take a tour with us to witness first-hand the quarrying operations and technologies that sets Polycor apart from any other company. See how the raw blocks of stone are transformed into various sizes and finishes as well as the techniques employed for installing vertical and horizontal stone implements using various anchors and mortars, as well as what substrates and back up materials are used.
This iconic American stone, often referred to as the 'Building Block of America', is quarried in the nation's heartland in Bloomington and Bedford, Indiana. From Chicago to New York City to the capital buildings of nearly every state in the U.S., this legendary stone grounds skylines, monuments and universities across the country. And it continues to do so to this day, after nearly 2 centuries of continual dimension stone quarrying operations in these fascinating deposits where ancient marine organisms solidified millions of years ago to form a limestone of the greatest purity on earth.
Known for its uniformity and consistency, Indiana limestone is available in five varieties plus Full Color Blend, a natural, full range compilation of warm buff colors and medium gray tones.
Learn more about Polycor's Indiana Limestone here: https://www.polycor.com/stones/?section=limestone
Vanderbilt Classic is a sawn veneer of genuine, timeless Indiana Limestone. The strong, clean look of real limestone is ideal for any design. The veneers are made of the same naturally durable and high-quality raw materials seen on our nation’s most treasured landmarks. Our Vanderbilt Classic Veneers are available in the standard sizes of 4", 8", 12", and 16" heights by 24" in length, as well as 36" stretcher and banding pieces. They can also be in smooth or split-face and come in full-color blend or grey. This alluring natural stone is immediately available, packaged ready to set, and easily trimmed to fit corners, doors, and windows. Contact your Indiana Limestone Company Regional Sales Representative today or visit our website, www.indianalimestonecompany.com.
South Central Indiana is world famous for its limestone. Ahead in our Hidden Places series we take you to a quarry that is preserved just like it was during the peak of limestone production in the 1920s.
Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone — is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana, USA, between the cities of Bloomington and Bedford.
Bedford, Indiana, has been noted to have the highest quality quarriedlimestone in the United States. Salem limestone, like all limestone, is a rock primarily formed of calcium carbonate. The limestone was deposited over millions of years as marine fossils decomposed at the bottom of a shallow inland sea which covered most of the present-day Midwestern United States during the Mississippian Period.
History
Native Americans were the first people to discover limestone in Indiana. Not long after they arrived, American settlers used this rock around their windows and doors and for memorials around the towns. The first quarry was started in 1827, and by 1929 Hoosier quarries yielded 12,000,000ft3 (340,000 cubic meters) of usable stone. The expansion of the railroads brought great need for limestone to build bridges and tunnels and Indiana was the place to get it.