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Home > Connecticut
A Location Guide for Rockhounds, (PDF) Collected by Robert C. Beste, PG, St. Louis, Missouri: Hobbitt Press, 2nd ed., December 1996, 148 pp. (Includes chapters on “Mineral Locations by State,” “Appendix and Glossary,” and “Bibliography.”)
"…Of the various mineral productions, iron ore is the most abundant. There are immense quarries of red sandstone at Portland and Cromwell, and marble and limestone is quarried at Canaan and Washington. A large amount of orthoclase comes from Glastonbury and Middletown…."
| This map was extracted from Bulletin 6 of the Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey, 1906. Plate XXVIII (From The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, 1923. Map size is 640KB) |  |
“The Architecture of the Granite Shed,” By Paul Wood, November 5, 2007, in the Barre Montpelier Times Argus. (New England States: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.)
“Calcite: Also called Calcareous spar, Calc Spar, Calcium carbonate, Carbonate of lime. Vitreous to earthy luster. Hardness 3. Specific gravity 2.72. Transparent to opaque. May be colorless. Has three directions of perfect cleavage that break the crystals into rhombohedrons. Conchoidal fracture. Brittle, Crystallizes in the hexagonal system. Found in crystals, granular, compact, fibrous, etc.
“Occurs in sedimentary rock masses, igneous rocks. Formed by the action of carbonated water on calcium silicates, by metamorphic action, etc.
“Chemical composition: calcium carbonate. CaCO3. Identified by its cleavage and effervescence with acid.
“It contains 65% calcium oxide (lime) and is used as a source of lime, mortar, cement, flux, fertilizer, crayons, etc. Its name is derived from the Latin word for ‘lime.’
“Localities: Allingtown, Berlin, Boardman’s Bridge, Branchville, Branford, Bristol, Brookfield, Canaan, Cheshire, Danbury, Derby, Durham, Farmington, Granby, Guilford, Haddam, Hartford, Lime Rock, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Monroe, Mount Carmel Center, New Britain, New Haven, North Branford, North Guilford, North Haven, Portland, Roaring Brook, Roxbury, Salisbury, Simsbury, South Britain, Southbury, Southington, Suffield, Trumbull, Vernon, Watertown, West Redding, Woodbridge, Woodbury.”
“Corundum: Luster vitreous to adamantine, sometimes pearly. Hardness 9. Specific gravity 3.9 to 4.1. Transparent to translucent. Color gray, brown, bluish, blue, red, yellow, colorless. Streak white. No cleavage. Parting may be basal or in two directions at 94° to each other. Fracture Conchoidal to uneven. Brittle. Very tough when compact. Crystallizes in the hexagonal system. Found in pyramids, prisms, tabular, compact, and granular.
“Occurs in crystalline limestone, gneiss, mica schist, granite, and other crystalline rocks. Associated with magnetite, mica, chlorite, serpentine, spinel, nephelite. Alters to zoisite, kyanite, margarite, damourite, muscovite, tourmaline.
“Chemical composition: aluminum oxide. A12O3. Identified by the hardness, luster, specific gravity, and parting. Used as an abrasive.
“The Indian name for corundum is ‘kauruntaka’ and our present word has been derived from it. When transparent and clear, corundum is used as a gem. When deep red it is called ruby. All other gem colors of corundum are really sapphire, but in recent years the term sapphire has been reserved for the blue verities. The other colors have been given the names of the gems they most resemble, to which has been added the word ‘oriental.’ Thus the green sapphire is called ‘oriental emerald,’ the yellow sapphire is ‘oriental topaz,’ etc.
“Localities: Barkhamsted, Haddam, Litchfield, Norwich, Washington, West Farms.”
“Dolomite: Also called Bitter spar, Pearl spar. Vitreous to pearly luster. Hardness 3.5 to 4. Specific gravity 2.9 to 3.3. Transparent to translucent. Colorless, pink, gray, green, black, brown. Streak white to gray. Perfect cleavage in three directions, forming an angle of 73° 45’. Conchoidal fracture. Brittle. Crystallizes in the hexagonal system. Crystals generally have curved surfaces.
“Occurs in beds and ore deposits, and in cavities in igneous and sedimentary rocks.
“Chemical composition: Dolomite as a rock is magnesian limestone [CaMg(CO3)2]. Dolomite as a mineral contains almost equal amounts of calcium and magnesium, but the latter may be replaced in part by iron or manganese, or both, so that the chemical formula is Ca(Mg,Fe,Mn)(Co3) 2. It may be identified by the hardness, and curved crystals. It does not effervesce in cold dilute hydrochloric acid.
“Used as a building and ornamental stone, as a source of magnesium, and as a refractory. It is named after the French chemist Dolomieu.
“Localities: Berlin, Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Danbury, Durham, Haddam, Housatonic valley, Kent, Litchfield, Middlefield, Milford, New Haven, New Milford, North Stonington, Norwich, Redding, Redgefield, Salisbury, Sharon, Stamford, Washington, Watertown, Worthington.”
“President: Henry Murray, Boston, Massachusetts.
Vice-Presidents: W. S. White, Rockland, Me.; Thos. Nawn, Concord, N. H.; Chas. H. More, Barre, Vt.; A. T. Farnum, Providence, R. I., Wm. Booth, New London, Conn.; C. B. Canfield, New York City. Treasurer: Isaac F. Woodbury, Boston.
Portland Brownstone (photographs and history), by Wayne G. Powell.
Portland Brownstone Quarries (geology, photographs and history), National Historic Landmarks Program.
Portland Brownstone Quarries (photographs and history), presented on Wikipedia.
"Quarries Vie for National Recognition! - We Need Your Help!!!"The National Park Service has recently completed their study of the Portland Brownstone Quarries, and are nominating the quarries for a possible designation as a National Historic Landmark!
"On April 10 (2000), the Landmarks Committee in Washington DC will meet to evaluate the nomination. Their recommendations will then be forwarded to the National Park System Advisory Board on April 16 in San Francisco, where the final decision will be made.
"It is important to the future of Portland that the quarries are recognized for their historic significance. It was the acquisition of brownstone that first drew settlers to this location, developing an industry famous the world over. Shipyards were built in town to accommodate the transportation of this construction material to New York and California and even to Europe! The very existence of Portland depended on the economic value of the brownstone quarries.
"When brownstone was replaced by cheaper building materials, the quarries fell into disuse and remained that way for a good portion of the twentieth century. Flood waters filled the excavation sites, and the beauty of the quarries was largely ignored. Indeed, many people in town have no idea that these wonderful sites exist just 200 yards or so from Main Street's business center."
“Serpentine: Luster greasy, waxy, earthy. Hardness 2 to 5. Specific gravity 2.2 to 2.65. Translucent. Color varies, white to black through all colors, with green predominating. White streak. Fracture Conchoidal, splintery. Brittle. Crystallizes in the monoclinic system. Crystals unknown. Found massive, fibrous, platy.
“Occurs in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Associated with magnesite, chromite, pyrope. Formed from magnesium silicates such as olivine, pyroxene, amphibole.
“Chemical composition: Hydrous magnesium silicate. H4Mg3Si2O9(?).
“Its name is due to its serpentine markings.
“Localities: East Haven, Greenwich, Litchfield, Middlefield, Milford, New Haven, Norfolk, Orange, Ridgefield, Stratford, Winchester.”
The Ancient Gravestones of Green Burial Ground, Main Street Glastonbury, Connecticut, written and published David Shortell, 2008. (This book is a comprehensive study of the cemetery on Main Street in Glastonbury, Connecticut, along with photos of the fascinating gravestones the book includes a history of the cemetery itself, a statistical analysis, and a CDROM of the pictures as well.)
“The Architecture of the Granite Shed,” By Paul Wood, November 5, 2007, in the Barre Montpelier Times Argus. (New England States: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.)
“Horses, Oxen and Granite,” (online article) by Paul Wood, January 7, 2008, in the Barre Montpelier Times Argus.
The time period covered in this article is during the early 1800s.
Key words: Adamant Quarries, Montpelier, Vermont; block and tackle; boom derrick; clog chains; John Crouse of Syracuse, New York; Fayette Cutler, Barre, Vermont; double runner sleds; freight Tariffs; Joseph Glidden, Mark Glidden;granite quarries; granite sheds; horse sweep; Jones Brothers, Vermont; “New Hampshire Horses,” railroads; ramp, rollers; single-drum winch; skids; spur track; St. John the Devine Cathedral, New York City; Stanford Mausoleum; wagon pulled by horses and oxen teams, wagons.
A Location Guide for Rockhounds, (PDF) Collected by Robert C. Beste, PG, St. Louis, Missouri: Hobbitt Press, 2nd ed., December 1996, 148 pp. (Includes chapters on “Mineral Locations by State,” “Appendix and Glossary,” and “Bibliography.”)
“The Portland Brownstone Quarries” by Alison C. Guinness in The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association Inc., September 2002. (The text of the articles is available for reading on the findarticles.com web site (the photographs are not included). Some back issues of The Chronicle are available from the Early American Industries Association, Inc.)
“The Quarry that Built Boston and New York City: Portland’s brownstone was once the building material of choice,” by Doe Boyle, in Hog River Journal, Vol. 6, No. 3, Summer 2008, pp. 34-39.
Riverside Cemetery Middletown, Connecticut, written and David Shortell, March 9, 2007. (This book is a comprehensive study of the cemetery on both sides of the Connecticut River in Middletown, Connecituct, along with photos of the fascinating gravestones the book includes a history of the cemetery itself, a statistical analysis, and a CDROM of the pictures as well.)
The Stone Carvers of Center Burial Ground: Main Street, East Hartford, Connecticut, written and published by David Shortell, May 2006. (This book is a comprehensive study of the cemetery on Main Street in East Hartford, Connecticut, along with photos of the fascinating gravestones the book includes a history of the cemetery itself, a statistical analysis, and a CD ROM of the pictures as well.)
The Technology of Marble Quarrying, U. S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 106, by Oliver Bowles, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1916.
“Tributes in Stone and Lapidary Lapses: Commemorating Black People in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century America,” by Angelika Krüger-Kahloula, in Markers VI: pp. 32-100, Association for Gravestone Studies. (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, USA)
James Flood’s 42-room mansion was constructed of brownstone (sandstone) quarried by the Middlesex Quarry Company in Portland, Connecticut. The stone was dressed in Newark, New Jersey and shipped “around the tip of South America to San Francisco.” The fence that surrounds the property was constructed of “bronze and thick slabs of Connecticut brownstone....” It is one of two Nob Hill structures that survived the San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906.
“…In the northern part of Litchfield County, near the Massachusetts line, in the town of Canaan, East Canaan, and Falls Village, there occur massive beds of a coarsely crystalline white dolomite, which have in years past furnished valuable building marbles, though recently they have been but little worked. The stone is said to weather well and to be obtainable in large blocks eminently suited for building, but like the Lee dolomite, it frequently contains crystals of white tremolite, which weather out on exposure. It is therefore not so well suited for finely finished or monumental work. The State-House at Hartford is the most important structure yet made from this material.”
The Middletown police station is listed as one of the projects worked on by Portland Brownstone Quarries, according to the web site.
Brown sandstone from Portland, Connecticut, was used in the construction of the buildings.
"Also octagonal in shape, (a Connecticut lighthouse trademark) the exterior was constructed by Marcus Bassett. Made of sandstone from East Haven, furnished by Jabez Potter, the sandstone was hauled over difficult terrain by horse-draw drays. The interior was lined with New Haven brick. The circular staircase, with its 74 steps guiding the way to the lantern, are made of granite from local quarries."
"A careful reading of early graveyards involves a knowledge of regional geology. Slater divides the 18th century gravestones east of the Connecticut River into four categories:
"Because of the town's wealth and location, 'New London's ancient burying ground is a bewildering mixture of Boston and Newport slates, Connecticut River valley sandstones, and inland granites.'"
Finished Products From Connecticut Stone Located in Illinois
Finished Products From Connecticut Stone Located in Maine
Finished Products From Connecticut Stone Located in Maryland
Finished Products From Connecticut Stone Located in Massachusetts
"In 1763, while deputy postmaster, Benjiman Franklin was assigned the task of placing a marker at one mile intervals along the Boston Post Road. The Boston Post Road was established as a permanent highway in 1639. It ran from Boston to New York City, at the time a distance of two hundred fifty four miles. These markers were made out of red Connecticut sandstone. Some of the material used also came from what is now East Longmeadow."
On kuklas.blogspot.com there is a short history and a photograph of one of the Franklin sandstone Mile Markers.
The sandstone steps and first story of the house were constructed of Connecticut River Valley sandstone.
| The photograph accompanying this entry is from The Granites of Connecticut, Bulletin 484, by T. Nelson Dale and Herbert E. Gregory, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1911. |  |
The caption reads: "The monument is of hammered buff-gray fine-grained quartz monzonite ("Connecticut white granite") from the Booth quarry at Waterford. A.D.F. Hamlin, architect; H. A. MacNeil, sculptor. Height to top of ball, 30 feet"
New York, New York - Cooper Union (The following information is from Portland Brownstone Quarries (a division of Twin Oaks Enterprises, Inc.) (present-day company), 311 Brownstone Avenue, Portland, Connecticut)
Cooper Union is listed as one of the projects worked on by Portland Brownstone Quarries, according to the web site.
(constructed in 1990-1991) Stony Creek granite (quarried in Connecticut), is used to face most of the building. For the lower two floors of the building Napoleon Red granite (from Vanga, Sweden) is used. Rosso Verona marble (Red Verona) is used inside the Key Tower and the adjacent hotel complex. This marble is an orange-colored limestone which is quarried in the Venice, Italy, area. (From Guide to the Building Stones of Downtown Cleveland: A walking tour in celebration of Earth Science Week 2000, by J. T. Hannibal and M. T. Schmidt, Ohio Geological Survey Guidebook No. 5, 33 p., 1992, [Reprinted, 1994.] Building Stones in the Vicinity of Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio, a brochure based on the guidebook, was published in 2000 and is available online.)
The St. Mary’s Church is listed as one of the projects worked on by Portland Brownstone Quarries, according to the web site.
“The New England Granite Co., Hartford, Conn., have the contract for the monument to be erected by the Eighteenth Connecticut regiment in the National cemetery at Winchester, Va. The monument will be made of Concord granite and will consist of a base, die and a shaft, the latter rock faced with hammered margin lines. Total height 13’ 1”.”
Building at Gallaudet University is listed as one of the projects worked on by Portland Brownstone Quarries, according to the web site.
Washington, D. C. - the General Staff College; the Norcross Quarry (granite), Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut (From The Commercial Granites of New England, 1923)
Construction Materials: Connecticut brown stone
Construction Materials: Connecticut brown stone
Construction Materials: Connecticut brown stone
Construction Materials: Rubbed Connecticut brown stone and manganese pressed brick
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