Phenix is an unincorporated community in northwest Greene County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. [1] The community is located on the banks of Sugar Creek, approximately 2.5 miles south of Walnut Grove and 1.5 miles west of Harold and Missouri Route 123. [2]
During the railroad boom of the late 1800s the Kansas City, Clinton, and Springfield Rail Co. forged their way through the wilderness between Ash Grove and Walnut Grove, their repeated dynamite blasting revealed deposits of high quality limestone in 1884. [3] A post office called Phenix was established in 1886, and remained in operation until 1942. [4]
In 1888, this discovery prompted Kansas City investor, C.R. Hunt, to establish a small limestone mining operation. For nearly two decades, Hunt ran the quarry as the Phenix Stone and Lime Company. By 1905, W.J. Grant, a marble finisher from Milwaukee recognized the high quality of Phenix limestone and purchased an interest into Hunts company. [3]
This operation grew over the years, that in 1913, it was named the Phenix Marble Co., which was known for producing Phenix Napoleon Gray Marble which was noted for its resemblance to a kind of French marble from the reign of Napoleon. With this high quality limestone, the industrial development of the small community grew to establish a company owned town, which was typical of the times. In 1902, a general store was established and in 1905 a two-room school house was built. The town hall, city park, and all the homes were owned by the company. A former quarry employee recalled that, "The company would give us script instead of money with which we could purchase supplies at the company store." In 1904, the Missouri Bureau of Geology named Phenix as the largest and best equipped quarry in the state with a community of 500 employees. [5]
During the first three decades of the 20th century, Phenix Marble Company was one of the largest producers of cut limestone and marble west of the Mississippi, producing more than 250,000 cubic feet of stone annually. Production halted during the Great Depression, leading the railroad track used for transportation to be abandoned. During World War II, much of the quarry's iron equipment was scrapped for the war effort. [3]
The Phenix quarry reopened under the management of the Vermont Marble Co. yet failed to regain its previous position in the market. By the 1970s, Phenix was largely a ghost town, the quarry itself was purchased in 1988 by David Richter, who largely used the land as a gravel hauling business. [6] In June 2016 a competing quarry named Conco bought Phenix from Richter and created the current incarnation of Phenix Mable Company. [7]
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578.
Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 census.
Walnut Grove is a city in Greene County, Missouri, United States. The population was 652 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Proctor is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,763 at the 2020 census. Proctor is home to the Vermont Marble Museum and Wilson Castle.
Yule Marble is a marble of metamorphosed Leadville Limestone found only in the Yule Creek Valley, in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado, 2.8 miles (4.5 km) southeast of the town of Marble, Colorado. First discovered in 1873, it is quarried underground at an elevation of 9,300 feet (2,800 m) above sea level—in contrast to most marble, which is quarried from an open pit and at much lower elevations.
The Marble Cliff Quarry Co., is located in the community of San Margherita and operated the largest limestone quarry in the United States from its founding in 1913 until its sale in 1985.
Natural Bridge State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in the city of North Adams in the northwestern part of the state. Named for its natural bridge of white marble, unique in North America, the park also offers woodland walks with views of a dam made of white marble, and a picturesque old marble quarry.
The Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company operates the world's largest limestone quarry, which is located near Rogers City, Michigan. It was formed and organized in 1910; however, production did not begin until 1912. Ownership of the quarry has changed a number of times, but it is still one of the country's largest producers of limestone.
Farnams Village Historic District is a historic district in Cheshire, Massachusetts, United States. It encompasses the historic limestone mining community known as Farnams Village and the associated surviving industrial and mining infrastructure associated with a mining operation active from the late 19th century into the mid-20th century. The main village area is centered on Lanesborough Road in southern Cheshire, near Farnams and Quarry Roads, with quarry sites on the hillside to the west. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found only in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, this stone has been used in the construction of numerous notable buildings and monuments throughout the United States and Canada, including the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., the Minnesota State Capitol, as well as parts of the United States Capitol in Washington, Grand Central Terminal in New York, and Union Station in Toronto. Tennessee marble achieved such popularity in the late-19th century that Knoxville, the stone's primary finishing and distribution center, became known as "The Marble City."
Stone City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930s art colony.
Hesston is a small unincorporated community in Penn Township of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Also located in Hesston is Raystown Lake. Hesston is the home of the Hesston Speedway. Original called Pleasant Grove and Grafton but renamed Hesston.
Carrara is a ghost town in Nye County, Nevada. The townsite is located in the Amargosa Desert adjacent to US Route 95 about 8.5 miles southeast of Beatty. The old Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad line was about one half mile to the southwest. An old road, previously a railroad grade, runs straight for about 3 miles to the northeast up Carrara Canyon on the southeast flank of the Bare Mountains to an old marble quarry. The quarry is about 1400 feet higher in elevation than the townsite.
Lime is an unincorporated community and ghost town in Baker County, Oregon, United States, 5 miles (8 km) north of Huntington on U.S. Route 30/Interstate 84. It is near the confluence of Marble Creek and the Burnt River on the Union Pacific Railroad. The Oregon Trail passes through Lime.
Clear Creek is a stream in Greene County, Missouri, United States. It is a tributary of the Sac River.
Harold is an unincorporated community in northwest Greene County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Harold is located on Missouri Route 123, southeast of Walnut Grove and 1.5 miles east of Phenix.
Compton is a historic community in western Webster County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The post office was located at different locations in the area. One site was located along the bank of the James River along Missouri Route B, but a second location is approximately three-quarters of a mile to the southeast above Compton Branch. This second location is within or adjacent to the Compton Hollow Conservation Area and about three miles south of Northview. The Compton Limestone geologic formation was named for the community, because the type sections defining the unit were located in the vicinity.
The Waro Limestone Scenic Reserve is a conservation area near Waro near Hikurangi, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Whangarei on the North Island of New Zealand.
Calcite is a ghost town in Fremont County, Colorado. It served as a company coal mining town for Colorado Fuel & Iron. It is located along Howard Creek roughly six miles from the census-designated place of Howard.
Municipalities and communities of Greene County, Missouri, United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |