Building the Temple EarthCache

The coordinates bring to the steps of the former Franklin Masonic Temple (1922-1987). The building was constructed in 1922 by the architectural firm of Shopbell & Co using the classical revival style. As you notice, you will see limestone used here. I’ve always wondered why a lot of the buildings from the early 1900s were made from limestone so I started researching this and decided to share it.

The plentiful life in the tropical sea generated a thick accumulation of carbonate shells that storms and waves reduced to sand-sized particles. It also washed free the clays and most other impurities. Shell debris decomposed and was cemented together with calcite to become Salem Limestone.

Thick, relatively uniform-appearing beds in the Salem layer contain the most suitable building stone. Its quality and value are affected by the size of the fossil shells, the color of the stone, the presence of fractures and veins, and the degree of uniformity; uniform, fine-grained, buff-colored stone commands the greatest price in the market.

The gray-colored stone is less valuable. Exposure to ground water oxidizes trace amounts of impurities and changes the gray color to the more valuable buff color quality or appearance can be affected by original features of sedimentation such as crossbedding, coarse zones, stromatolites (layered algal forms), hard grounds, shaley layers, and trails of organisms, as well as other less common features. Later geologic processes have formed stylolites or “crow’s feet,” mud seams, grikes (vertical solution features), and color variations that affect the stone’s appearance and value.

The first commercial quarry was opened in 1827 near Stinesville, which is about 20 miles west of Bloomington. Indiana’s limestone became very popular and has supplied the majority of all high-quality building-grade limestone for use in the United States.

The “Stone Belt” provides most of the Salem Limestone that is used in constructing building materials. The area is defined near Bloomington and Bedford that is 10 miles wide and 35 miles long. The Salem Formation for this area is exceptionally deep at over 90 feet thick in some areas. This makes it a prime building limestone because of its extreme durability.

Salem Limestone is also very good for carving. It accepts and retains very fine detail. Quarries remove large blocks about 20 tons in weight, take them to mills where the stone is sawed into smaller pieces using a diamond saw,  and then is planed, turned or cut into any shape.

Salem Limestone varies in color from a light gray to a bluish-gray; sometimes it oxidizes to a buff shade. Working with limestone is easy so carvers prefer to use it when fine details are necessary. The stone is soft and can be cut by hand or pneumatic tools. It is also homogeneous, which means it can be cut in any direction. Once the stone dries out, it will harden to a durable stone. It can withstand all types of weathering, even though acid rain can damage it.

To log this earthcache, please send answers to the following questions to my account:

1. What color is the limestone on the Masonic Temple?
2. Are there fractures and veins in the stone, or does it seem more uniform with fine grains?
3. Look at the carved columns. What details and carvings do you see? Is there evidence of wear on the column carvings?
4. Post a picture of yourself (face not required) or a personal item at the coordinates.