The Beginnings of an Industry

In the summer of 1836, Willard and Moses P. Humphrey became convinced that quarrying and sawing marble could become profitable. With little capital, no railroads, no post offices closer than Pittsford and what would become West Rutland, and little to no knowledge of what it took to make marble quarrying a profitable undertaking, they began with what would become the Columbian quarry at Sutherland Falls; now Proctor, VT. 

The Humphreys began by blasting out the blocks with gunpowder before hauling them out with pulleys, ropes, and rollers up an inclined plane to a wagon or sled, then to the mill via a team of oxen where the cutting was powered by the Sutherland Falls.

Following the Humphreys' partnership with Edger L. Ormsbee, the firm Humphreys and Ormsbee built the first mill in the winter of 1836 through 1837. This mill had four gangs of saws and only employed about five or six men at a time.

The Columbian Quarry was different than what would become known as the Sutherland Falls Quarry, where work did not begin until 1838. Following the financial crisis of 1837, the firm gave up direction to Francis Slason of West Rutland with Moses P. Humphreys serving as superintendent for a few years. Ormsbee kept a hold on the property and operated the business with his brother T.J. Ormsbee, who carried on the business a couple of years longer.

Barnes and William Y. Ripley built the Ripley Mill in Center Rutland in 1844. Eventually, Barnes and Ripley divided their properties with Ripley taking the mill at Center Rutland and Barnes the quarries at West Rutland, though Barnes was subject to a contract to supply forever a specified number of cubic feet of marble which Ripley was to saw and sell to divide the proceeds. Ultimately, disputes about this agreement would result in the Supreme Court case Marble Co. v. Ripley in 1870. 

The Sutherland Falls Marble Company was originally incorporated in Massachusetts in 1857 by a group of men in Rutland, VT. In 1867, it contracted with the local firm Dorr and Myers to saw marble until Dorr and Myers dissolved their partnership two years later and Proctor was appointed receiver. In 1870, Proctor formed the Sutherland Falls Marble Co. as a Vermont corporation superseding the Massachusetts company and including what had been Dorr and Myers. 

From 1870 to 1880, the Sutherland Falls Marble Company is described as operating on a fairly simple basis under Redfield Proctor. Proctor ofen handled a truck and helped to load cars, personally selecting marble and devoting himself day and night to the building up of the business. According to Frank C. Partridge in his address at the general conference of the company in 1920, the company paid no dividends in all those years: what it could earn was put into paying debts and extending the business. 

The old Sutherland Falls quarry proved to be a great success and in a way it was the foundation upon which the shole structure of the Vermont Marble Co. was eventually reared. By 1880, the Sutherland Falls Marble Co. was operating 64 gangs and had become a conspicuous success in the marble business of Vermont.

The Rutland Marble Company was originally a quarry in West Rutland operated by William Barnes before being passed to General Horace Henry Baxter who operated it with the help of his younger brother John N. Baxter. The business was incorporated in New York City and included the Barnes/Baxter quarry and the nearby quarry of Clement and Sons. 

By 1880, the Rutland Marble Co. had quarries in West Rutland, Center Rutland, and Salem, NY. 

A few months after being named president of the Rutland Marble Co. in 1880, Proctor merged it with the Sutherland Falls Marble Co. to become the Vermont Marble Co. By 1891, the company had branches in Vermont as well as Boston, Toledo, Chicago, and Philadelphia. 

Over time, the Vermont Marble Co. would acquire many quarries and marble businesses including the Sheldon Marble Co. following its thirty year lease in 1891, the Albertson Quarry in 1899, and the Brandon Italian Marble Co. in 1909.

In an attempt to improve trade and control product prices, Proctor merged with four other firms to create the Producers' Marble Company in 1883. These firms, in addition to Proctor and the Vermont Marble Co., were Sheldon and Sons, Dorset Marble Co., Ripley Sons, and Gilson and Woodfin. These partners all sold their goods to the company who in turn resold it to outside consumers at controlled prices. The Producers' Marble Co. Dissolved in 1887, as most of the partners had either gone out of business or been absorbed by the Vermont Marble Co.

The Sheldon Marble Co. of West Rutland was leased to the Vermont Marble Co. for thirty years until it was purchased in 1891. 

A lot of information about the facilities at West Rutland are detailed in the Vermont Marble Co.'s 1891 and 1892 facilities report put together at the time of the company's purchase.