Soapstone Chips was published by students of Francestown Academy during 1886. It includes puzzles, poems, and articles about nature and a trip from Boston to Nahant beach in Massachusetts. The paper was likely a school assignment given by their teachers. Names of students mentioned in the paper include Eddie Bixby, Venetta Brown (1870-1956), Maro Brooks (1869-1954), Sadie Crosby (1872-1949), William Ordway (ca. 1867- ), Charles Jellison (1870-1941), Mabel Downes (ca. 1868- ), Mary Woodbury (ca. 1869- ), Grace Downes (1870-1961), Frank Clark (1869-1945), Wait Livingston (1870-1907), Leonard Wilkins (1868-1893), Maud Stephen, Emma Dunklee (ca. 1867- ), Annie Morse (ca. 1866- ), Walter Spaulding (ca. 1870- ), Sydney Smith (ca. 1870- ), Henry, Addie, Allie, the Colburns, the Sleepers, the Whites, Edward, Levi, Ephriam, Jesse, Martha, Paige, the Batchelders, and the Richardsons. The unnamed editor explains that the name of the paper was due to editing a newspaper being as difficult as trying to cut soapstone with bare hands. Francestown had a prominent soapstone industry during the 19th century.
Francestown Academy was established in 1800 in the town of Francestown, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. It offered high school level education and was considered a highly prestigious academy in New England. The main subjects taught were arithmetic, geography, history, Greek, and Latin. The students paid for room and board, as well as meals at local homes. Notable alumni included Levy Woodbury, who served as Secretary of the Navy and Treasurer, US Senator, and Governor of N.H., and former US Senator and 14th President of the U.S. Franklin Pierce. The Academy closed in 1921 and the builidng is presently home to the town hall.