Sylacauga is nicknamed the Marble City, but most Alabamians don't know what makes the marble found there so special, or that it is world-renowned among builders and sculptors.

Source: Nelda Vogel

The city will celebrate its marble mining heritage with its annual 12-day-long Magic of Marble Festival held April 3-14, 2018. Among the activities, visitors can watch marble sculptors at work. Click here for a list of activities.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

The City of Sylacauga erected signs made of pristine marble, such as this one located on U.S. Highway 280, to welcome visitors to the city.

READ MORE: The tale of the Marble Castle

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Source: Decumanus/Wikimedia Commons

Sylacauga marble is such a pure white and of such quality that it is much-sought-after in constructing important buildings. It can be found in the rotunda of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House in New York; the columns, walls and ceilings of the U.S. Supreme Court Building; and the W.C. Chrysler Mausoleum in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

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Source: Florian Hirzinger/Wikimedia Commons

Sylacauga marble can also be found in the translucent ceiling of the Lincoln Monument;

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Alabama Department of Archives and History

A 32-mile belt of this pristine marble was discovered running through Talladega County in 1814 and it is still being mined today. The Alabama Legislature named it the state rock in 1969. This postcard from the 1930s shows Gantt's Quarry in Sylacauaga.

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Alabama Department of Archives and History

The first marble quarry was opened in 1834 by local doctor Edward Gantt. This photo from the 1930s shows workers polishing marble from Gantt's Quarry.

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Alabama Department of Archives and History

The George Herd Family consolidated several smaller quarries shortly thereafter and sold the first quarried marble from the area in 1838 for use as funerary monuments. The 1930s photo above shows a quarry in Sylacauga.

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Alabama Department of Archives and History

Giuseppi Moretti, the Italian sculptor who created the Vulcan for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, fell in love with Sylacauga marble, which he called "the finest white marble in the world," according to festival spokeswoman Ginger Clifton. The photo above shows Moretti's Sylacauga home.

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Alabama Department of Archives and History

Moretti opened a studio in nearby Talladega, shown above, and sculpted numerous artworks from the white marble, including "The Head of Christ." Moretti also founded the Moretti-Harrah Marble Company while living in the city.

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Alabama Department of Archives and History

Giuseppe Moretti's "Head of Christ" sculpture.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

Three major mining companies are in operation today: Omya, Sylacauga Marble Mining and Canadian Polycor Co. Above is a current photo of "the Blue Hole," the original quarry in Sylacauga. It was discovered by Edward Gantt and owned and operated by various companies after that.

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Source: Matt H. Wade/Wikimedia Commons

In addition to the pure white marble, some strains have veining in pink, gray, black and yellow. The photo above shows the interior of the U.S. Supreme Court, which is covered in Sylacauga marble.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

Sylacauga's tenth annual Magic of Marble hosts sculptors at Blue Bell Park, including the visiting Italian master sculptor, Marcello Giorgi. Activities are free and include a Marble Mania Scavenger Hunt, a 5K run, quarry tours, and exhibits of marble products. The Gantts/IMERYS Observation Point overlooking the historic quarry will be open to the public. For more information, visit the Marble Festival website www.bbcomerlibrary.net/marblefestival or call Chairperson, Ted Spears at 256-267-6655. This photo shows local sculptor Craigger Browne sulpting at a past festival. The piece is called "Emerging Sylacauga." It is a depiction of a worker at one of the marble quarries carving himself out of a piece of Sylacauga marble.The sculpture was installed on North Broadway Street on the grounds of the Sylacauga Municipal Complex.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

Sculptor Frank Murphy working at a past Magic of Marble Festival.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

Above, sculptor Pamela Paine at a past Magic of Marble Festival.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

The sculpture shown above, "The Falling Star" was created by Don Lawler of Stephensport, Kentucky, to commemorate the Hodges Meteorite that fell through the roof of Ann Hodges' home in Sylacauga in 1954. Ann was napping when it struck, causing extensive bruising. It is the only known meteorite to hit a person. The sculpture is located on the Sylacauga Municipal Complex lawn.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

Marble quarry owner David Herd created this sculpture called "Little Samuel" to place on the grave of his brother John's wife in Marble City Cemetery, according to the book "Sylacauga" by Rozelle, Lewis and Arnold. Many of the markers in the cemetery are made of Sylacauga marble.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

"The Mask" sculpture on display at B.B. Comer Library.

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A four-piece marble sculpture called "Once Upon a Time" in Sylacauga.

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A welcome sign made of Sylacauga marble on Alabama Highway 21 welcomes visitors to the city.

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Source: Nelda Vogel

A welcome sign made of Sylacauga marble on Alabama Highway 21 at U.S. Highway 231 welcomes visitors to the city.

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Source: Anthony22/Wikimedia Commons

The W.C. Chrysler Mausoleum in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is made of Sylacauga marble.