Asbestos: In the Post-Civil War Era. A Trip Through History.

I enjoy our trips down history lane.

We hear a lot of antidotal evidence about when the commercial use of asbestos became viable, with many people pointing to the then newly discovered mines in Canada during the 1870s. However, shortly after General Robert E. Lee gave up the ghost at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, the Social Science Review and the Journal of the Sciences issued Volume IV for July to December 1865 discussing the then existing locations and uses for asbestos. So, let’s go back 155 years, or so, and see what was going on.

Initially, asbestos was then known to exist in Italy, India, Pyrenees, Siberia, Savoy, Piedmont, Tyrol, Corsica, Colony of Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), Hungary, Scotland, the Alps, and the State of New York. Oh yes, also add in the neighborhoods of Alais and Brochant. For Alais, the asbestos was, for a long time, mistaken for human bones.

As to the then commercial uses of asbestos, the publication discusses them at the following pages. Nothing critical, but just be aware that as of 1865, asbestos was already a “celebrity” with a wide range of applications and uses. I had not heard of the 1702 find of a funeral urn in Rome which contained a skull and bones enclosed in a cloth of asbestos. Learn something every day.

I have this book electronically should anyone want a copy, although the above pages are the only discussion concerning asbestos. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments either in the comments area or by emailing me at TheAsbestosBlog@gmail.com. Thank you. Marty