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Tennessee marbles are over 450 million years old and were created
in the Paleozoic Age when an enormous inland sea left deposits
of sand and fossil life near its edges. Over the millennium this
sediment was subjected to intense change as the Appalachian Mountains
rose and buried the sea under its cliffs. Under the enormous pressures
and high temperatures, rocks deep in the earth became plastic
and great earth movements created layers of stone that tilted
or folded back into the depths of the earth.
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The warm red, brown,
black, gray and subtle pink marbles of Tennessee still show characteristics
of its creation in the earth's internal furnace. Their beauty and
liveliness are enhanced by subtle variations within each quarried
stone, evidence of the forces that created it. Additionally, the
color and the amount of veining in each stone visually reflect the
stone's reaction to the minerals and pressures that surrounded and
compressed it. Finally, fossil remains dating back millions of years
to the stone's formation highlight the presence of life forms in
that early time.
In the building industry, any stone that can be polished
to a high gloss is characterized as marble. The vitality of the
surface quality of Tennessee marble increases the visual effectiveness
of this reflection and its tremendous strength and durability ensures
that any project will endure for the next millennium. |
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Tennessee Marble Company was formed in 1993
and is managed by a staff of individuals totaling more than 100
years of experience in quarrying, fabricating and selling building
stone. These Tennessee quarries had supplied Tennessee Pink marble
for the Washington Monument and our nation’s Capitol in the
1830’s. During the intervening decades the warm, rich colors
of Tennessee marble adorned numerous national and state monuments,
including the Tennessee State Capitol, the US Post Office in Knoxville,
the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institute, the Jefferson
and Lincoln Monuments, and the National Cathedral. |
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The Decline of construction in the years leading to the depression
of the 1930’s was painful to the industry and the few quarries
that survived were shut down by foreign competition and the building
slowdown of the 1980’s. No real substitute was found for this
uniquely American stone. Since 1993 Tennessee Marble Company
has acquired or leased 6 quarries (including the acquisition of
Tennessee Valley Marble in March 2007). Tennessee Marble Company
is now the largest fabricator of domestic marble, and the country’s
sole supplier of Tennessee Marble. Using the most modern tools and
technology we can once again offer this famous American stone in
quantity for restoration and renovation of existing structures as
well as for new commercial, residential, and government construction.
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