It only took me 23 years, but I finally made it out to visit the Indiana Limestone Belt. I’d have to say it was long overdue. A big “thank you” goes to my friend Todd Schnatzmeyer at the Indiana Limestone Institute who made my excursion possible, along with all of the companies that graciously welcomed me into their quarries and mills.
Over the years, Todd and I have often spoken about an article on Indiana limestone and “The Stone Belt,” as it is lovingly referred to. I appreciate that after talking with him again this year at StonExpo in Las Vegas, he set the wheels into motion, which has resulted in the feature you will find beginning on page 38 of this issue. In total, there is a brief story on each of the 14 different companies that I visited. They represent about half of the active quarriers and fabricators in the region. I wish there was more space to elaborate on each of these companies, because every one of them possesses a unique quality – whether in their products, processing techniques or business strategy. But the one point I can’t stress enough is that they all were so friendly and happy to share their story with our Stone World readers.