Acme Limestone

(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)

Alderson West Virginia - A History Made with Xara

economic life of the town. Acme’s big quarry is at Snow- flake on the river about live miles east of town. The company was organized by J. J. and

Frank A. Prince of Prince, West Virginia, T. J. Lilly and R. F. Dunlap of Hinton, J. Albert Rigg and E. Chase Bare of Alderson. (Frank Prince, aged

92, is the only living organizer.) Since 1916, more than 18,000,000 tons of limestone products have been sold. Acme produces 425 tons of stone per hour. For years, J. Albert Rigg, long one of Alderson’s best known businessmen, was vice—president and general manager, and the company steadily

expanded. Mr. Rigg died in 1959 and had been president of the company several years. Succeeding Mr. Rigg, A. W. McThenia, an Alderson

resident and employee of the company since 1928, became president and general manager. Acme Limestone is not only an open pit quarry but it is also a mining operation. Acme operates a grinding plant using stone from a huge

underground seam of high calcium carbonate content. This pulverized limestone is shipped for rock dust for coal mines, agricultural, chemical and

metallurgical uses. Its customers are railroads, contractors, chemical plants, steel mills, mines, glass makers and road builders. The biggest single

order was for one million tons of crushed stone for building Bluestone Dam. Acme is a very progressive, well organized, prosperous business with about one hundred employees, of whom about forty live in Alderson. The

company has no lay-offs in the winter. It is then that new building is done and improvements are made, so the Acme’s steady employment attracts

good workers. Nearly all have more than fifteen years service. As Acme’s stone reserves are unlimited, it will be an economic bulwark to Alderson for the years to come. Ref: Mr. A. W. McThenia, President, Acme Limestone Company The contents contained in this series is copyrighted and the sole property of The Greenbrier Historical Society - Lewisburg, WV Used by permission - November 18, 2008 Main Index Lumber Stone Quarries

Acme Limestone Company's crushing plant is pictured here as it was about 1916. Located at Fort Springs, about

7 miles east of Alderson, it was always considered an Alderson business. Today it is one of the world's largest

limestone extracting operations with large customers over a wide area. Photo J. W. McClung. (Click on photo for

larger view)

The History of Alderson, West Virginia From The Journal Of The Greenbrier Historical Society On Alderson, West Virginia Written by Kenneth D. Swope - Compiled and Transcribed by Barry Worrell