National Register of Historic Places: Mead Marble Quarry

Abstract

As described in the Multiple Property Submission, “Marble Industry of East Tennessee, ca. 1838-1963,” the marble industry was once an important sector of the regional economy. The Mead Marble Quarry stands as an example of industrial production and transportation in the East Tennessee marble industry during its greatest period of national significance (1890-1940). The pattern of development at this early quarrying site, the first known opening for the extraction of marble on the south side of the French Broad River, served as a prototype for the growth of the industry in the area. The East Tennessee marble industry is nationally significant for its contributions in building materials use in civic architecture.