Smithsonian Videohistory Collection

Background

The Vermont Structural Slate Company (VSS) in Fair Haven, Vermont, was founded in 1859. As of 1989, it was one of only twenty remaining companies nationwide that produced slate. The company operated several quarries, including the oldest active quarry in Vermont, the Eureka quarry, which opened for slate production in 1852. VSS employees have continued to use nineteenth century machinery for most quarrying and manufacturing operations. The owners, however, have attempted to upgrade the facility with more modern equipment. .

William Worthington, museum specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH), recorded quarrying techniques at VSS on October 12 and 13, 1989, to document remaining nineteenth century industrial techniques before the installation of modern equipment. For example, Worthington recorded the operation of the old cableway system that removed slate from the Eureka pit, as well as the more modern use of cranes, diesel shovels, and dump trucks. Worthington also documented various methods and equipment used in making slate shingles.

Participants

The videohistory shoot included both interviews with employees and detailed visual documentation of their work, as well as overall tours of the quarry, its operation, and its environs. Brad Bauman, chief engineer, guided Worthington around the site and explained various processes involved in slate manufacture, while Everett Beayon, the last employee familiar with the cableway system, returned from his retirement to demonstrate and explain the operation of the system. Joseph Root described selecting and extracting slate from the quarry, and Raymond Cull demonstrated the signaling system used to communicate with crane operators for the removal of slate from the pit. A number of other employees appeared throughout both sessions, but were not interviewed.

Video Sessions

This collection consists of two interview sessions, totalling approximately 4:00 hours of recordings, and 63 pages of transcript. There are three generations of tape for each session: originals, dubbing masters, and reference copies. In total, this collection is comprised of 12 original videotapes (12 Beta videotapes), 5 dubbing masters (5 U-Matic videotapes), and 4 reference copy videotapes (4 VHS videotapes).

Session One (October 12, 1989), at the Eureka Quarry of Vermont Structural Slate Company, documented quarrying operations and equipment, with an emphasis on the older cableway transportation system, c. 1859-1989, including:

• installation and function of "dead log" anchors for cableway systems;
• overview of the Eureka quarry pit;
• "shelf technique" method for slate removal from quarry walls;
• cableway system for lifting rocks out of the quarry;
• use of electromagnetic signaling system for communications between quarry floor workers and engine house or crane operators;
• dumping operation of rubbish box;
• control of the cableway operations from an engine house.

Visual documentation included:

Original Masters: 7 Beta videotapes
Dubbing Masters: 3 U-Matic videotapes
Reference Copies: 2 VHS videotapes
Transcript: 42 pages
2 hours, 20 minutes