At the turn of the last century, brownstone was a preferred masonry material of architects and builders throughout the United States. Nearly every hamlet, town and city was graced with brownstone guildings. It was so pervasive in some areas that Edith Wharton in her novel The Age of Innocence, was prompted to complain of "brownstone the uniform hue of which coated New York like a cold chocolate sauce."

The Appalacian Mountains from New England to the Carolinas had a plethora of working brwonstone quarries supplying stone as fast as they could to urban areas. Not all of this stone was of the best quality. However, just south of the borough of Hummelstown in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on fo the finest stones of its kind was being quarried and sent throughout the Commonwealth and from up state New York to Florida and as far west as Indianapolis, Chicago and St. Louis. This is the story of that industry and its contribution to the American building arts.

Unfortuately, many see these quarries today and have no idea of the scope of their importance. Suburban development has crowded around the rim of the pits and the processing buildings have long since fallen and been reclaimed by nature.