Active Granite Quarries In Maine

Maine s quarries had their heyday in the late 18th and early 19th centuries marvinney said.

Active granite quarries in maine.

The last one capped with an active osprey nest recently toppled. When the quarry was measured in 1905 it was 250 by 100 feet and had a depth from 4 to 8 feet. Oliver and three co workers are the last of maine s granite quarriers and crotch island is the only active remnant of what once was a dominant industry and colorful part of the state s past. Although quarrying peaked in maine around 1901 activity in maine s granite quarries continues to this day.

Transport of the granite was by cart 1 miles to the wharf. Granite from the quarry was reportedly a medium gray color with a coarse to medium texture. Mining and quarrying in maine virtual tour. One of the advantages for maine quarries was their proximity to the coast which made transportation easier.

Frequently asked questions geologic information. Granite from the north jay maine quarry was the white granite of new england haynes said and used to build general grant s tomb the hahnemann monument in washington d c and closer to home a cathedral in lewiston. Witness the maine granite industry which reached its high point in 1901 with 152 quarries employing at least 3 500 men. However the development of portland cement as a building material in the early 1900 s and the depression of the 1930 s dealt maine s granite industry a blow from which it would never recover.

In the 1960s the last working granite quarry flat ledge better known as hocking granite quarry near clark island village closed forever and filled with water. The quarrying of granite in maine has been a commercial undertaking since the early 1800 s. Our virtual tour is a series of photos which portray some of the history and types of maine mining and quarrying. The operator was dunbar bros.

I remember our family visiting that quarry staring down at the workers way below cutting stone. Maine s granite is also unique because of its pink color for which landscape architects are seeing increasing demand. Metallic mineral deposits of maine map known occurrences of metallic minerals shown on a generalized geologic map of maine. The dunbar quarry opened in 1901.

Rely on millennium granite for a lasting compliment to your landscape and facilities. Granite mined in hallowell prized for its softness that allowed easier carving built the gettysburg monument.