Number of employees
31
Description
Anna Quarries, Incorporated is one of the oldest continuous businesses in Southern Illinois. It was established in 1855 and has undergone many owner and name changes. The quarry has always been an important part of Anna's community, contributing to the economy of the area (Bicknell 34). The limestone is a very high quality and meets state quality specifications. Anna Quarries, Incorporated is able to extract material from several benches allowing us a great deal of flexibility for various quality requirements. History In 1855, E.H. Finch settled in Anna and joined into partnership with his friend Cyrus Schick, who owned Ullin Quarry. Together, they began digging stone at the north end of the present quarry, an area now taken over by mosses and brush. Along with the quarry, Finch and Schick acquired 160 acres of land and opened a dairy farm on the property (Bicknell 35). Finch and Schick began quarrying to provide lime for their neighbors' agricultural needs. They built kilns at the spot for burning the limestone. Eventually, they set up a crushing machine, but the rock continued to be loaded on carts by hand and pulled out of the pit by mules. In 1879, Finch and Schick were producing five hundred bushels of burned lime a day. The quarry employed fifteen men (Parks III, 1168). After the death of Finch and Schick, Robert Burns Stinson, a relative of Schick, bought the quarry and farm from the men's descendants (Parks II, 615). Stinson was one of the community's largest contributors to educational and charitable funds. He died in 1903, leaving his entire estate, including the quarry to the people of Anna (News and Views 1). In 1905, fulfilling the request of Stinson's will, the quarry was sold to Swan Creek Phosphate Company of St. Louis. Within the next ten years, it was operated by Peabody Coal Company of Chicago, C.F. Massey Company of St. Louis, and Central Illinois Public Service Company (Bicknell 35). Ownership