Lithographic Limestone - Distribution - The Americas

The Americas

The American Lithographic Stone Company was organized in Louisville, Kentucky in late 1868. It initially focused its operation on quarries in Overton County, Tennessee, but shortly before 1900, it opened a quarry at Brandenburg, Kentucky. This quarry was the only commercial source of lithographic stone in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Unlike the Solnhofen stone, Kentucky lithographic limestone was slightly dolomitic, and it was judged to be competitive with Solnhofen stone for some purposes, but not for the highest quality work. This stone source was sub-Carboniferous (Mississippian). In 1917, the Brandenburg quarry was judged the most important source of Lithographic stone in the United States. Prior to 1916, the output of the Brandenburg quarry was small, but in 1916, as World War I cut off access to Solnhofen stone, the quarry produced 20 tons of finished lithographic stone. The Remains of the Brandenburg Lithograph Quarry are located along the Buttermilk Falls Historic Walking Trail (38°0′3.54″N 86°9′34.74″W / 38.0009833°N 86.1596500°W / 38.0009833; -86.1596500).

In 1903, Clement L. Webster discovered a bed of lithographic limestone about 2 miles southwest of Orchard, Iowa. His company, the Interstate Investment & Development Company platted a town named Lithograph City nearby and opened a quarry (43°11′38.2″N 92°48′59.52″W / 43.193944°N 92.8165333°W / 43.193944; -92.8165333). The Lithograph City Formation of the Cedar Valley Group straddles the border between the Middle and Late Devonian and was named for its exposure in this quarry. Outcrops of this formation extend from near Cedar Falls, Iowa north into Minnesota. The suitability of Lithograph City limestone for lithography was tested by A. B. Hoen who reported that stone from two layers in the Lithograph City quarry was excellent for lithography and finer grained than the finest Solnhofen stone. Lithograph City was an important source of lithographic stone in the United States during World War I, but the quarries closed as metal printing plates replaced stone. In 1918, the Devonian Products Company took over the operation, focusing on the production of crushed rock and renaming the town Devonia. By 1938, the town had disappeared.