In this fourth column on the history of Chapman Borough, I am recalling an interview with the late Mr. Joseph George, who was a highly respected resident of the borough and an expert on the Chapman Slate Quarry.

The George family, like many of Chapman’s early residents, had its roots in the quarry district of Cornwall, England, where quarries were productive for 400 years. Over the generations, seven men have carried the name Joseph George.

The family were all slaters, and slate brought them to the United States. Joseph’s father was born in Chapman. He became a slater at the quarry, cutting large blocks of slate into various sizes.

“The slaters were independent men,” Mr. George said. “They punched no time card because they worked on the piece rate.

“The men who split the slate worked in two-man shanties, heated by a coke stove. In the winter, the slate would freeze, but the work would continue.”

The George family resided, as did many in Chapman, in a company home. In 1929, Joseph’s father died, leaving a wife and six children.

“I was 12 years old at the time,” Joseph recalled. “The company let us live in the company home rent-free for a long time. The Depression was not only tough on us, but on everyone. My sister helped support the family by working in a Bath silk mill.”

Home rentals were $8 a month. Later, the company sold homes to employees. The Chapman Slate Company did so because they needed revenue.

The first homes sold for $650. Yes, you read it correctly - $650. Later, they were sold for $1,200. If the home had a porch, the price increased to $1,600. It may be some time before we see those home prices again!

Joseph started working in the quarry in 1935.

“My personal experience at the quarry was limited to five years as a slater,” he remembered. “I spent no time in the ‘hole,’ or quarry. I worked in a shanty preparing slate with an older slater.

“At first my hand was covered with blisters, and after all the hammering, I could barely lift my arms. After a period of time, your body adjusted to the job.

“We worked at the piece rate. The wages were split, 60 percent given to the man I worked with. As I learned on the job, the split was 50-50.

“We worked five 10-hour days and four hours on Saturdays. One of my best paydays was when I earned $70 for 108 hours in two weeks. That was good money.”

Mr. George wrote a great article titled “The Miracle Stone” in a booklet for the Chapman Historical Society. It stated the slate deposits at Chapman were solid to unknown depths. The quarries were worked to a depth of 200-250 feet.

In the early years, drilling holes was by hand. The quarry operated on steam power to hoist heavy blocks from the hole, and steam whistles regulated the working hours. They blew at 7 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. The whistle governed the actions at the quarry, the school and the whole community.

In addition to the slate for roofing, black boards, tiles, window sills and curb stones, there were mountains of waste. Only the best slate was sold after being approved by an inspector.

“I loved slate and working there,” Mr. George said as I left his home. “Too bad that the skill of the slate splitter is gone from Chapman.”

With the advent of World War II, Joseph and his brothers left the small borough to serve the nation.

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In two weeks, we will visit a boarding house in Chapman.