LORAIN COUNTY. 219 



of Heman Ely, Esq., on the east side of the West Fork, and opposite the 

 quarries of Mr. Mussey, the Berea grit is very accessible, and quarries 

 might be opened here at small cost which would probably afford stone 

 of the same quality with that on the west side of the stream. West 

 and north-west of the village, over a considerable area bordering both 

 the Lake Shore and Black River Railroads, the Berea grit comes near to 

 the surface, and is covered only with Drift clay. In this vicinity there 

 would seem to be quite a large amount of quarry land where the stone 

 is readily accessible and favorably located for shipment. 



No effort has yet been made to manufacture grindstones from the 

 Berea grit at Elyria, and the impression has prevailed that the stone 

 was too coarse for any but heavy grinding. To this purpose some of it 

 is certainly well adapted, and there is every reason to believe that search 

 for a finer and better grindstone grit will be rewarded with success. It 

 should be remembered that the character of the Berea grit varies very 

 much, both as regards solidity and fineness, in its different layers and 

 in different localities, and the true value of the deposit in this vicinity 

 can only be accurately determined by more thorough exploration than 

 has yet been made. It may be confidently expected, however, that the 

 quarries at Elyria will hereafter become an important source of wealth 

 to the community, and that thij3 will be one of the principal points of 

 shipment of stone to supply the great lake market. 



In Ridgeville the Berea grit comes to or near the surface in many 

 localities. Its quality can hardly be said to have been tested, as but 

 little quarrying has been done here. Some of the stone seems, however, 

 to be good, and the chances of opening valuable quarries in this town- 

 ship are such as to warrant more attention than they have yet received. 



The Berea grit has also been quarried at the village of French Creek 

 by Mr. Ebenezer Wilson, in Pittsfield by Mr. McRoberts, in Lagrange by 

 Mr. Nelson Rose, and it is much more extensively worked in Columbia, 

 where the stone is of excellent quality and has an established reputa- 

 tion. From these facts it will be seen that the Berea grit is accessible 

 in nearly all parts of the county, thus insuring to the inhabitants 

 throughout all time an abundance of building stone of the best quality 

 at their very doors — a blessing far more rare than generally supposed — 

 and affording an unfailing source of revenue. 



Petroleum. — This should also be enumerated among the mineral resources 

 of Lorain county, although very little is produced there at the present time. 

 In Grafton, oil springs were discovered by the first settlers, and petroleum 

 taken from springs in the adjoining township (Liverpool) was sold 

 throughout the country as a medicine long before wells were bored on Oil 



