Cape Ann Granite Quarry

Cape ann s location allowed for quarries to be set up close to shore so that the granite blocks could be shipped by vessel.

Cape ann granite quarry.

Over 3 years in. Subscribe and receive updates on happenings at the cape ann museum. Cape ann quarries more about the granite industry. Cape ann lies on an outcropping composed of 450 million year old granite polished by glaciers.

And it lead leslie to spend 10 years researching photography and granite papers at sandy bay historical society and the cape ann museum. 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. 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.

The legacy of the barre stone sculptors and their stone. History of cape ann granite and over the years she donated her large collection of quarrying tools and related artifacts to the cape ann museum. This particularly dense stone was prized for building monuments forts and piers. Blocks of cape ann granite were used to build gloucester s dale avenue post office.

27 pleasant street gloucester ma 01930 978 283 0455. Click here for super hi resolution photo of blood ledge quarry chapters on a quarry wall the quarry photography of leslie d. Read about the plethora of stone pits and businesses hand and pneumatic tools transportation and shipping vessels immigrant ethnicities labor problems and. 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.

By the 1850s the stone business was firmly established and cape ann granite was known throughout the region. In the left image the men appear dwarfed by the wall of granite they are working. During the 1830s and 1840s the trade grew steadily. At first workers were found amongst the local population.

This was important in the early days when railway service was non existent. 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. The granite quarrying business like the fishing industry offered a steady stream of jobs from the 1830s through 1930. However as operations took hold and production increased additional laborers from off cape ann were required.

Cape ann quarry map. Give me your hands. In the 1800s it was shipped as far as cuba and europe.