• Telephone exchange: 543-xxxx
• Zip code: 63673
• Township: Beauvais

The Ste. Genevieve Herald
September 24, 2003

Ste. Genevieve Marble Used in Renovation of National Archive Display

By Jean Feld Rissover
Page 3

        Some of the nation's most revered documents are on display at the National Archives building in Washington D.C., and so is one of this county's products.

        A two-year renovation of the national information storehouse is now complete. An integral part of the project was the creation of exhibition space for the original copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States.

        That's where Ste. Genevieve County comes in. The cases, in which the documents are housed are made from Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein marble.

        Herb Fallert, former state representative from Ste. Genevieve County and now a city alderman and local business owner, says he is pleased that the local product has been used in so important a project.

        "These documents are the most important in our country's history and they have meaning for all Americans," Fallert told the Herald last week. "The fact that we can play a role in their display is something we can all take pride in. It makes Ste. Genevieve even more a part of our national story."

        When it comes to the National Archives building, Ste. Genevieve has had a role for a long time. Construction of the Archives building took more than two years beginning in 1932.

        When it came time to select the material for the case that would hold the Constitution, architect John Russel Pope selected Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein marble.

        The time period for construction of the building coincided with the heyday of the marble industry in Ste. Genevieve County. And the rare Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein marble-tan with cream and gold linear threads and virtually unique to this area- was a natural choice for the case.

        When plans were made for the renovation of the National Archives, designers wanted to use as many of the original materials as possible, including the same kind of stone for the new cases which would house all three of the country's founding documents.

        (It was not until 1952 that the Bill of Righs and Declaration of Independence went on display in the rotunda.)

        Local sources say the distinctive marble was originally quarried at the Ozora Marble Quarry. But the Ozora quarry had closed down more than three decades ago, and experts said the small portion of the quarry which contained the unusual marble that was formed in the Devonian Period had been eroded away. New blocks of the Ste. Genevieve stone were thought to be unavailable.

        Fortunately, before the quarry operation closed down some of the marble had been shipped to a marble company in Tennessee. It had been destined for the use in the construction of a courthouse in Florida. The marble blocks were stored in a quarry near Knoxville.

        The supply of Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein intended for the Florida courthouse project was located and incorporated into the design for renovation of the National Archives building.

        Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein marble was used in other important public buildings, as well as the National Archives. For example, it was a key component in the construction of the interior of the Cleveland Public Libarary (1923-1925) and in other public and privately-owned buildings in that city, in building locations as diverse as New Orleans and the North Central United States, and throughout the country.

        Ironically, the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City is not among buildings that feature the local product.

        According to Fallert, plans for the building called for the use of marble from this county. But when the structure was erected during the second decade of the 1900's, marble from the area of Carthage, Missouri was used instead.

        "I don't know why they changed their minds," Fallert said. "It would have been nice if they'd used our stone. But it all happened a long time ago."

        Should the politicians in Jeffesron City decide they do want Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein marble in some project, they won't have any problem finding it.

        While the search for the marble for the D.C. project was rigorous, it apparently failed to turn up the fact that "Dutch" Kreilich has plenty of the stone on his property.

Kreilich told the Herald that there are about 600 tons of Gold Vein stored on his property near St. Mary. It came from the Ozora quarry. Some of the 100 or so blocks of marble weigh 25,0000 pounds apiece.

        Recently, another Ste. Genevieve marble product was selected for a project. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources used a slab of rose marble donated by Kreilich Family Farms for the new sign at its Rolla headquarters of the Geological Survey and Resource Assessment Division. (An open house is planned from 1 pm to 6 pm on October 15 to show off the new sign and other improvements at the Rolla headquarters.)

        The Ste. Genevieve Gold Vein cases that house the Charters of Freedom documents are located in the rotundra of the National Archives building. They are flanked by a set of canvas murals which are mounted on the curved wall.

        The oil paintings were commissioned in the late 1930's and were created by artist Barry Faulkner. One depicts Thomas Jefferson submitting the Declaration of Independence to John Hancock; the other shows James Madison submitting the Constitution to George Washington. The murals have also been restored.

        The National Archives building was rededicated earlier this month