Buckingham Slate refers to a specific type of slate quarried near Arvonia in Virginia. The Buckingham Slate Company is the only active quarry and manufacturer of slate in Virginia. Buckingham slate has a distinct blue/black color and glistens due to its high Mica content.
Buckingham slate roofs can be found on many Federal buildings and national landmarks, including Ford's Theatre, the Smithsonian Institution Building, the University of Virginia, and Tuckahoe Plantation, (the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson).