Villa Ridge Plant – 1960

History

Villa Ridge Quarry

In 1947, general contractors Oliver Taetz and Raymond Muenks leased 44 acres in Villa Ridge, Missouri near St. Mary’s Church for the purpose of mining agricultural lime. As the building boom of the Fifties began, it became necessary to expand the quarry operation to satisfy demand for aggregates. Production was modified to focus on construction and maintenance aggregates. By 1963, a new plant was installed to produce products faster and more efficiently. As the eastern part of Franklin County grew, the original acreage was purchased and additional land was eventually acquired to assure plentiful reserves for the future. In 1986, “Taetz Quarry” was renamed Riverstone Quarry to reflect new ownership by subsequent family members. Our property in Villa Ridge now consists of over 300 acres, much of it yet to be utilized. Our plant and plant support machinery has been updated continuously up to the present to assure our customers plentiful quantities of high quality aggregate products.

Union Quarry

In 1978, Wm. (Bill) Dawson and Charlie Busch opened a new quarry site on State Highway 47, midway between Union and Washington, Missouri. Their plan was to serve the central part of Franklin County, focusing on Washington and Union as the largest growth area between St. Louis County and Jefferson City. Wm. Dawson eventually acquired full interest in the quarry and successfully operated it until his retirement in 2014. Riverstone Quarry acquired all assets and properties of the business from Mr. Dawson and currently operates under the name “Riverstone Quarry – Union Plant”. Since the 2014 acquisition, much of the plant and plant support equipment has been updated to assure the reliable and consistent operation our customers have come to expect. The Union site consists of approximately 200 acres with many years of reserves available.