On the morning of May 15, 1951, Mrs. Lawrence began her day as usual at her home on Oak Road in Collinsville. She prepared breakfast and started a load of laundry, just as she had countless times before. But as she stepped outside to hang the clothes on the line, a sudden, deafening explosion shook the air. Moments later, a human leg landed in her yard—just a few feet away. Incredibly, history was repeating itself.
Mrs. Lawrence, along with many others, lived near the Fort Trial quarry, located just off Murphy Road in Collinsville. Like several other quarries in the region, it had been established to extract rock for processing into concrete used in the construction of the Philpott Dam. The site had been taken over in early 1949 by the Lambert Brothers, a company based in Knoxville, Tennessee.
To harvest the rock, miners—many of them local—drilled into the stone and inserted dynamite, using charges that contained anywhere from 5% to 60% gunpowder, depending on the force required. The shattered rock was then further broken down, ground into dust, and transported for use in building the Philpott Dam, located about six and a half miles away.
Tragically, the Fort Trial quarry was the site of two deadly explosions during its brief operation. The first occurred on the morning of November 1, 1950, around 9 A.M. The blast was so powerful that it shattered windows up to a mile away and was heard as far as Axton—15 miles away. Reports indicated that an unexpected surface detonation triggered a chain reaction with the underground explosives. The disaster left three dead and numerous others injured, with some people thrown 15 to 30 feet by the force of the blast.
The second explosion took place on May 15, 1951. Though not as intense as the first, it still rattled nearby homes and businesses and claimed three lives, including Fern Lambert, co-owner of the company. The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown, but investigators discovered unexploded dynamite at the scene containing 90% gunpowder—30% higher than what the Lambert Brothers had reportedly used in their operations.
The quarry ceased operations shortly thereafter, as the dam was completed in 1952. Though now privately owned and off-limits to the public, the site remains a significant part of local history—its brief yet tragic existence leaving a lasting mark on the community.
Jarred Marlowe is a local resident and historian. He is a member of the Col. George Waller Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Blue & Gray Education Society, and the committee chair for the Martinsville-Henry County 250 Committee. He may be reached at marloweja15@gmail.com.
