Title

Pfeiffer's Stone Quarry near Batesville, Arkansas

Creator

Files

Date Original

1906 October 27

Description

This black and white postcard depicts Pfeiffer's stone quarry near Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, on its front. It was sent on October 27th, 1906, from Ms. Ora B. Powell to Clara Eno.

Biographical/Historical Note

Joseph A. Pfeiffer brought the family over from Germany in the middle of the nineteenth century. They first settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he started the Pfeiffer Stone Company in 1860. Joseph's son, Charles, became president of Pfeiffer Stone and expanded the business by purchasing land in Independence County, Arkansas, where he mined the type of limestone known as Batesville Marble, beginning in 1903.
Charles' son, Joseph, was managing the Batesville quarry when the Pfeiffer Stone Company received the contract to supply the stone for the Arkansas State Capitol in 1902. Joseph personally supervised the entire process of shipping the stone to Little Rock for the Capitol, from quarry to delivery. Using power tools, Joseph Pfeiffer also personally carved much of the molding, capitals, and other decorative work for the Capitol building.
This quarry supplied the stone for the federal penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; the Methodist churches at Batesville, and Jonesboro, Arkansas; the Independence County Courthouse in Batesville; and many other buildings and monuments throughout the East and Midwest. Soon after the quarry opened, a railroad spur was run to the quarry to facilitate shipping of the stone. In the meantime, a community grew up around the quarry, located in a rural area abut five miles northeast of Batesville, and was named Pfeiffer in honor of the Pfeiffer family and the company that had encouraged the community's growth. The quarry closed in 1930.

Transcription

Pfeiffer's Stone Quarry Near Batesville, Ark.
Made in Germany
J.P. Morrow, Sole Agent, Importer & Publisher, Batesville, Ark. Dear Miss Clara,
When are you coming
to see us? Do you enjoy
country life? Where are
you going to spend
the winter? Write us
about yourself
Lovingly,
Ora B. Powell
Miss Clara Eno
Van Buren,
Ark.

Physical Description

Black and white postcard, 5.5" x 3.5"

Keywords

Postcards; Quarrying; Mining; Bridges

Geographical Area

Batesville, Independence County (Ark.)

Language

English

Identifier

ASA postcard collection, G1459.04

Resource Type

Image

Collection

ASA postcard collection

Publisher

Arkansas State Archives

Contributing Entity

Arkansas State Archives

Recommended Citation

Pfeiffer's Stone Quarry near Batesville, Arkansas, ASA postcard collection, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Rights

Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.

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