ABOUT US
Where It All Began
Maymead is a regional construction materials supplier and highway contracting firm that specializes in asphalt paving in western North Carolina, southwest Virginia and eastern Tennessee. What began as a small mining operation to provide agricultural lime for its own use has grown into a family of companies that includes 15 asphalt plants, two ready mix concrete plants and a fixed base quarry operation in Mountain City, Tennessee. Maymead Stock Farm, located in Mountain City, is listed in the national register of historic places and serves as our company headquarters today.
The Farm
The Maymead farm is one of the last remaining farms in the United States with continuous family ownership since the days preceding independence from England. The land itself, was granted to the family by King George II in 1746.
The family farm has been governed by three different state governments: North Carolina, Franklin, and Tennessee. Today it is located entirely within Johnson County, Tennessee, a county which borders Virginia and North Carolina.
Prior to colonization, the Maymead Farm was inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. Many items found in a cave on Maymead property are now on display at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
Mining Operations
Our crushing operations began in 1930, supplying agricultural lime for our own use and eventually moving into production for outside sources. In 1980, a granite deposit was discovered inside the existing limestone deposit. This is the only dual deposit quarry in the region where a metaphoric rock coincides with a sedimentary rock, which is a geological phenomenon.
We began extracting granitic material from the quarry in 1980 and in the same year, began our asphalt paving operation, utilizing aggregates mined from our own quarry.
Maymead Today
Our current leadership includes Chairman of the Board Emeritus, May Brown Mount Roark; President Wiley Roark; Vice President Mountain Division, Bart Roark; and Vice President Foothills Division, Mary Katherine Harbin. Together, these three generations lead and guide the family business that has operated for more than 90 years. We are also proud to have five multi-generational families where members of each family have cumulatively served in our company for over 100 years.
