Delaware Building and Ornamental Stones - 1886
Excerpts from
Report of the United States National Museum
Under the Direction of the Smithsonian Institutions
For the Year Ending June 30, 1886 ,
Chapter entitled
“The Collection of Building and Ornamental Stones In The U. S. National Museum:
A Hand-book and Catalogue”
By George P. Merrill, Curator
Department Lithology and Physical Geology.
“Serpentines of the Various States and Territories,” pp. 364:
“Delaware - Serpentine of various shades of green is stated to occur about 6 miles northeast from Wilmington, New Castle County, and also to the westward, near the State line, where Brandywine Creek enters the State line from Pennsylvania.* So far as the Curator is aware it has never been quarried.”
(* Page 364 footnote: Geol. of Delaware, 1841, p. 35.)
“Limestones and Dolomites. Marbles,” in Delaware, pp. 376.
“Delaware. - No marbles are at present quarried in this State, but a coarse white dolomite is found near Hockessin, New Castle County. This, so far as can be judged from the single specimen examined, might be used for general building, though not well suited for ornamental work.”
Granites in Delaware, pp. 413.
“Delaware. - This State produces scarcely anything in the way of granite rocks. A few quarries of a dark gray gneiss are worked near Wilmington, and are used for general building purposes in this city. One church and several private dwellings have been constructed of this stone, which belongs to the class known as augite-hornblende gneiss, since it contains both of these minerals in about equal proportions.”
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