Featured Article:
Remembering stratified oolite
by Mary Alice Oliver
Bowling Green and Warren County are accustomed to praises from others. The area is admired for its location, setting, weather, and quality of life. From its beginning as a county it has proven to be worthy of its claims. A city publication from 1890 describes the area as a “picturesque setting, composed of wood ridges, rounded hills, undulating plains, with circling river in the distance, present a landscape with no superior and few equals... a scenic beauty (with) the most equable, delightful and healthful temperature for the entire year.” Adding to the charm of the county is the availability of the abundant agricultural lands and the “finest building stone in the world.”
The local land form was perfect for cultivating crops and raising a variety of animals. The fertile lands responded immediately to the settlers’ planting and a generous variety of products made it not only possible to meet personal needs but to trade the results with other communities. Suddenly, both Bowling Green and Warren County became the center of commerce for tobacco, corn, oats, wheat, and potatoes. The strawberry enterprise existed as one of largest in the state and its yield was shipped, like the other products, by river and rail to cities in the north. Even the knobs in Warren County proved to be fruitful as several apple and peach orchards became productive. The livestock statistics for the county revealed major growth in the selling of sheep, hogs, chickens, and eggs. As the treatment of soil and the methods of farming improved, the agricultural reputation of this area increased in productivity and in respect within the trade industry.
The stone that made Warren County famous is the stratified oolite found in the cavernous limestone of this region. From scientific studies, we know a great thickness of limestone was deposited during the Mississippian geological stage as the seas cleared during the middle of this stage. Throughout the Mississippian geologic time in Kentucky there existed a variety of limestone, shale, sandstone, siltstone, and dolomite products, all prominent in this area. We are often reminded of the vast number of caves in this area that developed in this limestone in the last five million years. This structure of the landform enabled Warren County to become a leading provider of oolite, one of the best building materials available at the time.
Found in workable layers within an average of 15 feet below the surface, oolite resides in three layers. The first layer is nearly white, the middle layer is usually a dark yellow gray, but the bottom layer is almost black. This black layer will bleach to a light soft gray and when exposed to light will bleach out to a pure white, which delights government architects and builders around the nation. It is popular because it does not require waterproof coating to preserve it from moisture.
For over a century this white oolite stone has been recognized for its superior quality. In 1895, it was awarded the gold medal at the World's Columbian Exposition. It was awarded the highest award in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. A government test conducted at the World's Fair in 1894 completed a compression test on the stone, and it did not crack until the total came to 168 pounds pressure making it the superior to other stone.
This admirable stone has been used for buildings, hearthstones, chimney caps, road building, monuments, millstones, and fertilizer for depleted soil. It is the most versatile and durable building material available for use. The stone was first found and taken out of the ground mainly in northern and southwestern parts of Warren County, a total area of approximately 50 square miles. Cut stone businesses, like the Bedford-Bowling Green Stone Company and the Southern Cut Stone Company, soon began appearing in an area of our city near Church Street Railroad Station. Supplying these businesses were numerous quarries located throughout the county.
By 1890, among the quarries in initial operation in the area were the McClellan Stone Company, the White Stone Company, the Caden Stone Company, Bowling Green Stone Company, and the Cohron Oolite Stone Company. Many others joined the scene over the years as the demand for the stone was constantly increasing. The presence of convenient shipping on the nearby navigable waters of the Barren River and the presence of the L&N Railroad spur lines nearby the quarries made the expansion rapid and well known. Several companies are still in operation in the county today.
Stratified oolite limestone has been used in some of the most famous buildings in our country. Locally, it was used to build the attractive State Street United Methodist Church, which is believed to have been constructed for $35,000, and was chosen because of its lasting qualities when compared with the use of brick. Other buildings in the Bowling Green area include the original Citizens National Bank, First Baptist Church, Western Kentucky Teachers College (so named when built), the L&N Depot, and numerous others easily identified in the city because of the quality of their stone. Nationally the list includes St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York; Hall of Records, Brooklyn; Church of Our Lady of Victory, Philadelphia; Carnegie Library, Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta; First Presbyterian Church, Oklahoma City; and government buildings in Gulfport, Mississippi, just to name a few. The list is awesome and continuing.
Additional uses for the oolite limestone include flagging, curbing, and dimension stone. The stratified can be split easily for use in these areas. When you drive around the city and view the curbing, you can see its lasting quality. Unless damaged from some other cause, the curbing after many years shows little sign of disintegration. Jeff Lashlee, recently retired after 26 years as public works director, revealed an unusual but interesting fact about Bowling Green's curbs. They were made from an 18-inch slab placed vertically on a solid bed of rock, allowing only six inches to exist above ground for the actual curb. Though the six inches diminished after repeated resurfacing, the curb still remained a permanent quality.
Flagging is another important use of limestone. Since the earliest roads and streets of our city were first dirt avenues, usually muddy in wet weather, these areas were soon made macadam with this local, practical crushed stone. Some special areas were actually bricked as roadways by homeowners (like State Street near its intersection with Twelfth Street). Finally, around 1890, an asphalt company on Church Street became active providing the city with a more effective roadbed. This first roadbed had a base of large rock filled in with smaller rock on top, then these levels were consolidated with pressure before a covering was applied. Asphalt, brought in by barges from the famous Kyrock Asphalt Enterprise, was used to pave the streets. This was a welcome improvement as the automobile was soon to commandeer the routes. Melissa Canster, city engineer, relates today's roads are built with a much stronger foundation and the most modern methods and materials.
Competent leadership and a wealth of local resources have made Bowling Green one of the most desirable places to live. As citizens we can be proud of our community and its progressive modus operandi.
About the Author:
Mary Alice Oliver is a Bowling Green native who is a 1950 graduate of Bowling Green High School. She retired from Warren County Schools after 40 years in education. Visiting familiar sites, researching historical records and sharing memories with friends are her passions.
