Cape Ann Granite Quarry

At first workers were found amongst the local population.

Cape ann granite quarry.

The granite quarrying business like the fishing industry offered a steady stream of jobs from the 1830s through 1930. Cape ann lies on an outcropping composed of 450 million year old granite polished by glaciers. During the 1830s and 1840s the trade grew steadily. Construction of a fort at castle island in boston harbor in 1798 followed by a jail in nearby salem in 1813 jump started the granite business here on cape ann.

The legacy of the barre stone sculptors and their stone. This particularly dense stone was prized for building monuments forts and piers. In the left image the men appear dwarfed by the wall of granite they are working. Cape ann quarry map.

Give me your hands. The bartlett erkkila timeline of cape ann granite. Click here for super hi resolution photo of blood ledge quarry chapters on a quarry wall the quarry photography of leslie d. By the 1850s the stone business was firmly established and cape ann granite was known throughout the region.

Over 3 years in. His 2007 installation at the cape ann museum chapters on a quarry wall reveal the resilient quarry landscapes of cape ann for a new generation of cape ann natives and visitors alike. Erkkila entertains the audience with stories about all things granite from evolving methods of extracting and transporting the granite to on the job hazards to jewelry making. Despite the above advantages it was the rugged character ingenuity and perseverance of the people of cape ann that made quarrying successful.

And it lead leslie to spend 10 years researching photography and granite papers at sandy bay historical society and the cape ann museum. This was important in the early days when railway service was non existent. Hammers on stone is the definitive book on the history of cape ann granite featuring over 65 dramatic photos and maps depicting locations of quarries and motions during the 1800 s. Cape ann quarries more about the granite industry.

Read about the plethora of stone pits and businesses hand and pneumatic tools transportation and shipping vessels immigrant ethnicities labor problems and. Subscribe and receive updates on happenings at the cape ann museum. 27 pleasant street gloucester ma 01930 978 283 0455. However as operations took hold and production increased additional laborers from off cape ann were required.

The two photos above give some perspective on just how deep and huge most granite quarries are as well as just how precarious the work was during the times these images were taken. Cape ann s location allowed for quarries to be set up close to shore so that the granite blocks could be shipped by vessel. Sign up for e news.