Since prehistoric times, the process of cutting rock to make millstones has been one of the most important industries in the world. The first part of this book compiles information on the millstone industry in the United States, which dates between the mid-1600s and the mid-1900s. Primarily based on archival research and brief accounts published in geological and historical volumes, it focuses on conglomerate, granite, flint, quartzite, gneiss, and sandstone quarries in different regions and states. The second part focuses on the millstone quarrying industry in Europe and other areas.

Elder Carson works in Olinda, an ancient city on the northeastern coast of Brazil. It is lush green, full of old churches and white-sand beaches and drug traffickers protecting their turf. One night, Carson is homesick and wide awake. The midnight hour is humid and hot. It is February, and carnaval is in full swing. Carson gets up. He goes out alone. He finds a phone and calls his girlfriend back in Utah. Things happen that night—bad things—before Carson can make it back to his apartment. The next thing Carson knows, he's a suspect in a murder investigation. And not only that—gangsters, extremely dangerous men, have taken a sudden interest in Elder Carson . . .

In the early nineteenth century, mills were ubiquitous, making possible dozens of indispensable items--from the bread served at every meal to the boards used to construct houses and other buildings. Because millstones went through so much daily wear and tear, only certain types of rock formations were suitable for millstone quarries, though they were often difficult to locate and access. This book provides an archaeological and historical study of six millstone quarries in Powell County, Kentucky. While the best-known conglomerate millstone quarries were in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, Powell County was an important millstone producer for Kentucky, and the quarries there are well-preserved and documented. It features dozens of photographs and tables, two maps, and seven appendices.