Indiana state stone (sculpture)
Encyclopedia
Indiana state stone is a public sculpture at the Indiana Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis
. It is an 85 pounds (38.6 kg) cube of Indiana Limestone
that is mounted on a wooden, rotating dolly. It was carved from limestone quarried from the P. M. & B. limestone quarry located in southern Indiana. This sculpture commemorates Limestone becoming Indiana's official state stone on March 1, 1971.
. The engraved limestone cube sits atop a dolly that rotates 360 degrees so that individuals can spin it in order to read the inscriptions that are carved into the five visible sides of the six-sided sculpture. Each of the visible sides has separate inscriptions observing aspects of the limestone industry in Indiana. One side notes that Bedford, Indiana
is the “limestone capital of the world,” another names P. M. & B. the quarry from which the stone for this sculpture was extracted, and yet another side commemorates March 1, 1971 as the day limestone became Indiana’s official state stone.
The dolly on which the limestone block sits consists of an oak
base with three metal casters attached to the bottom. A metal bar is attached to the center of the underside of the wooden base which connects to a circular steel plate. The metal bar acts as a pivot point for the dolly to turn. The steel plate was once coated in black enamel, which has been worn away by its interaction with the three caster wheels. Little black enamel remains.
The entire sculpture, including the dolly, measures 16.25” ˣ 16”. The cube of limestone measures 12 7/16” on all sides. The oak base is 14 5/8” ˣ 14 5/8”. The caster wheels are 2 3/8” tall. The steel plate upon which the caster wheels rotate is 16” in diameter. The block of limestone weighs 85 lb.
. Limestone was designated the state stone in order to honor Indiana limestone usage across the nation in many famous structures.
The limestone House Bill 1202 designated limestone as the official state stone. The two legislators that sponsored the bill were Maurice Chase of Bedford and Stephen Ferguson of Bloomington, Indiana
. Ferguson jokingly claimed to have no real objection to the bill, while Chase had 30 years experience working in stone mills until he retired. Chase is claimed to have drawn attention to the bill by handing out tiny Indiana maps made of limestone. He is quoted in saying, “Limestone has been used for so many famous structures. It seemed appropriate to have it named the state stone.”
The Indiana state stone sculpture has been located in a niche on the fourth floor of the Indiana Statehouse between the Senate and the House of Representatives chambers since at least March 5, 1983. The cube was cut to dimension using a modern diamond belt saw.
and approximately three miles northwest of the city of Bedford, IN. This area is known as the Stone Belt; a 20 mile wide vein of limestone that runs through both Monroe and Lawrence counties. The P. M. & B. quarry company was organized on February 15, 1889, and development of the quarry began directly afterward.
The original members of the company were William N. Matthews, Fred Matthews, Henry F. Perry, Captain Gilbert K. Perry, Sarah E. Matthews, and Phillip K. Buskirk. The original members of the company had it incorporated on July 13, 1893. The original members claimed to have put every cent they could scrap together into developing their first plot of land. The members boasted that if their land didn’t produce the highest grade of stone, they would have surly gone bankrupt.
The company owned a total of 898 acres of land, of which only 240 acres were developable stone land. The original machinery used to excavate the quarry consisted of one channeling machine and a derrick. By 1895 the company had 10 machines running around the clock and was shipping between 10 and 15 car loads of stone each day on the Monon Railroad
.
The P. M. & B. Quarry was sold to the Consolidated Stone Company in 1897 for $600,000. In the 1920s individuals representing twenty-four of the limestone industry’s companies came together to form one entity. This entity became the Indiana Limestone Company and was founded in 1926. Today the Indiana Limestone Company owns over 2,300 acres of land and still owns and operates the P. M. & B. quarry as well as the famous Empire hole.
that consists of this carbonate rock
. Salem Limestone is a grain stone that is Mississippian in age. The limestone at the P. M. & B. Quarry is 98.40 percent calcium carbonate, making it more pure than the average Salem Limestone in Indiana, which averages approximately 97 percent calcium carbonate.
Throughout most of the P. M. & B. quarry the limestone has a uniform fine grain, with only a few irregular patches of coarser grained and crystalline stone. The fine grained oolitic limestone that is quarried from this site is covered by a layer of Mitchell limestone in some places. Although this covering layer can be difficult to remove by quarry workers, it has acted as a protective barrier for the underlying oolitic limestone and aides in preserving its high quality.
The Indiana Statehouse not only houses the Indiana state stone sculpture, it is also clad in Salem Limestone. 35 out of the 50 Statehouses around the country also use Salem Limestone quarried by the Indiana Limestone Company. The P. M. & B. Quarry is most famous for the Empire hole. This particular hole was the source of limestone used for the Empire State Building
in New York City. 35,017,500 pounds of limestone block were extracted from this part of the quarry in 1931 and shipped to Manhattan for the 102-story building. The Empire hole was also the source of stone used for the Empire State Building’s 2001 renovations.
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. It is an 85 pounds (38.6 kg) cube of Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
that is mounted on a wooden, rotating dolly. It was carved from limestone quarried from the P. M. & B. limestone quarry located in southern Indiana. This sculpture commemorates Limestone becoming Indiana's official state stone on March 1, 1971.
Description
The Indiana state stone sculpture is the Indiana Statehouse’s only piece of kinetic artKinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
. The engraved limestone cube sits atop a dolly that rotates 360 degrees so that individuals can spin it in order to read the inscriptions that are carved into the five visible sides of the six-sided sculpture. Each of the visible sides has separate inscriptions observing aspects of the limestone industry in Indiana. One side notes that Bedford, Indiana
Bedford, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,157.1 people per square mile . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile...
is the “limestone capital of the world,” another names P. M. & B. the quarry from which the stone for this sculpture was extracted, and yet another side commemorates March 1, 1971 as the day limestone became Indiana’s official state stone.
The dolly on which the limestone block sits consists of an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
base with three metal casters attached to the bottom. A metal bar is attached to the center of the underside of the wooden base which connects to a circular steel plate. The metal bar acts as a pivot point for the dolly to turn. The steel plate was once coated in black enamel, which has been worn away by its interaction with the three caster wheels. Little black enamel remains.
The entire sculpture, including the dolly, measures 16.25” ˣ 16”. The cube of limestone measures 12 7/16” on all sides. The oak base is 14 5/8” ˣ 14 5/8”. The caster wheels are 2 3/8” tall. The steel plate upon which the caster wheels rotate is 16” in diameter. The block of limestone weighs 85 lb.
Historical information
The Indiana state stone sculpture was created and displayed at the Indiana Statehouse to commemorate limestone becoming Indiana’s official state stone on March 1, 1971 by the Indiana General AssemblyIndiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
. Limestone was designated the state stone in order to honor Indiana limestone usage across the nation in many famous structures.
The limestone House Bill 1202 designated limestone as the official state stone. The two legislators that sponsored the bill were Maurice Chase of Bedford and Stephen Ferguson of Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
. Ferguson jokingly claimed to have no real objection to the bill, while Chase had 30 years experience working in stone mills until he retired. Chase is claimed to have drawn attention to the bill by handing out tiny Indiana maps made of limestone. He is quoted in saying, “Limestone has been used for so many famous structures. It seemed appropriate to have it named the state stone.”
The Indiana state stone sculpture has been located in a niche on the fourth floor of the Indiana Statehouse between the Senate and the House of Representatives chambers since at least March 5, 1983. The cube was cut to dimension using a modern diamond belt saw.
P. M. & B. (Perry, Matthews, & Buskirk) Quarry
The P. M. & B. (Perry, Matthews & Buskirk) quarry is located approximately one mile north of the town of Oolitic, IndianaOolitic, Indiana
Oolitic is a town in Indian Creek and Shawswick townships, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,184 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Oolitic is located at ....
and approximately three miles northwest of the city of Bedford, IN. This area is known as the Stone Belt; a 20 mile wide vein of limestone that runs through both Monroe and Lawrence counties. The P. M. & B. quarry company was organized on February 15, 1889, and development of the quarry began directly afterward.
The original members of the company were William N. Matthews, Fred Matthews, Henry F. Perry, Captain Gilbert K. Perry, Sarah E. Matthews, and Phillip K. Buskirk. The original members of the company had it incorporated on July 13, 1893. The original members claimed to have put every cent they could scrap together into developing their first plot of land. The members boasted that if their land didn’t produce the highest grade of stone, they would have surly gone bankrupt.
The company owned a total of 898 acres of land, of which only 240 acres were developable stone land. The original machinery used to excavate the quarry consisted of one channeling machine and a derrick. By 1895 the company had 10 machines running around the clock and was shipping between 10 and 15 car loads of stone each day on the Monon Railroad
Monon Railroad
The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway from 1897–1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana...
.
The P. M. & B. Quarry was sold to the Consolidated Stone Company in 1897 for $600,000. In the 1920s individuals representing twenty-four of the limestone industry’s companies came together to form one entity. This entity became the Indiana Limestone Company and was founded in 1926. Today the Indiana Limestone Company owns over 2,300 acres of land and still owns and operates the P. M. & B. quarry as well as the famous Empire hole.
Limestone of the P. M. & B. Quarry
The fine-grained limestone quarried at the P. M. & B. quarry is commonly referred to as Indiana Limestone, named after the state where it is quarried. Indiana Limestone is more formally termed Salem limestone, which is the name of the geologic formationGeologic formation
A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties...
that consists of this carbonate rock
Carbonate rock
Carbonate rocks are a class of sedimentary rocks composed primarily of carbonate minerals. The two major types are limestone, which is composed of calcite or aragonite and dolostone, which is composed of the mineral dolomite .Calcite can be either dissolved by groundwater or precipitated by...
. Salem Limestone is a grain stone that is Mississippian in age. The limestone at the P. M. & B. Quarry is 98.40 percent calcium carbonate, making it more pure than the average Salem Limestone in Indiana, which averages approximately 97 percent calcium carbonate.
Throughout most of the P. M. & B. quarry the limestone has a uniform fine grain, with only a few irregular patches of coarser grained and crystalline stone. The fine grained oolitic limestone that is quarried from this site is covered by a layer of Mitchell limestone in some places. Although this covering layer can be difficult to remove by quarry workers, it has acted as a protective barrier for the underlying oolitic limestone and aides in preserving its high quality.
The Indiana Statehouse not only houses the Indiana state stone sculpture, it is also clad in Salem Limestone. 35 out of the 50 Statehouses around the country also use Salem Limestone quarried by the Indiana Limestone Company. The P. M. & B. Quarry is most famous for the Empire hole. This particular hole was the source of limestone used for the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
in New York City. 35,017,500 pounds of limestone block were extracted from this part of the quarry in 1931 and shipped to Manhattan for the 102-story building. The Empire hole was also the source of stone used for the Empire State Building’s 2001 renovations.
Condition
The tread of one of the three caster wheels is missing, making the sculpture slightly lopsided. There is discoloration of the limestone on all top and bottom corners, likely from the oils of people's hands while they touch the block in order to spin it. The steel plate's black enamel is worn away in most areas. The top four corners of the cube have been worn or broken away since 1983.See Also
- List of public art at the Indiana Statehouse
- List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones
- List of Indiana state symbols