. Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. ndians, and what is believed to be the most extensive quarry workedby them within these bounds was discovered in 1926, on a high ridge 36 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 82 a short distance south of Damon, Albemarle County. It is about 2miles in a direct line north of east from Schuyler, and between 5 and6 miles northwest from the nearest point on the left bank of the is on the banks of Rockfish River, some 6 miles above itsmouth, in Nelson County. Since 1926 the surface has been strippedand quarries have been opened on the sit
. Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. ndians, and what is believed to be the most extensive quarry workedby them within these bounds was discovered in 1926, on a high ridge 36 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 82 a short distance south of Damon, Albemarle County. It is about 2miles in a direct line north of east from Schuyler, and between 5 and6 miles northwest from the nearest point on the left bank of the is on the banks of Rockfish River, some 6 miles above itsmouth, in Nelson County. Since 1926 the surface has been strippedand quarries have been opened on the site, thus destroying traces ofthe work done by Indians before the coming of Europeans to thisl)art of Virginia. When visited in 1926 great masses of soapstone outcropped onthe surface. These followed a general direction from southwest tonortheast and had a dip of about 60° to the southeast. The broken,irregular surface was heavily timbered, and evidently the entire regionhad changed little in appearance during the past centuries. Near by. Fig. 8.—Fragment of an unfinished flat-bottomed soapstone vessel. 3 natural size.(LT. S. Nat. Mus. Cat. No. 332025) were several large springs. For feet or more along the ridge itwas possible to trace the pits, dug by Indians generations ago, fromwhich quantities of soapstone had been removed. Twenty or moreexcavations were thus discovered and probably others were so filledwith the accumulated mold and moss as not to have been distinguish-able. The pits varied from lo to 30 feet in diameter and appearedto have been from 2 to 4 feet in depth. Some were quite distinct;others may have been joined beneath the mass of mold and thus inreality have been parts of a large excavation. The surface surrounding the pits was covered with pieces of thestone, some large, others small, which had been removed from thequarries and evidently rejected as being unfit for use. But only a Bushnell, David I., Jr., Ancient soapstone quarry in Albemarle County,Vi
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