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Geology Resources - Vermont

Research Resources - Vermont

The Vermont Stone Industry

  • 1856 - Vermont - The following excerpt is from the 1856, "The Marble-Workers' Handbook."

    "Vermont is the Marble State, and this material will prove one of its most fruitful sources of wealth. Fine white Marble, which can be obtained in large cakes, is found along the base of the Green Mountains, for fifty miles above and below Rutland. At West Rutland statuary Marble is quarried that is surpassed by none in the world. Our own sculptors have availed themselves of it to some extent, and some orders for it from Italian sculptors at Rome have been filled. It is said to be a finer grain, to work more easily than the foreign, and not to crumble so badly under the chisel. At this time locality is spotted grey Marble, much used for mantels. A beautiful dark-colored article is got at Pittsford. From Shoreham and other points along Lake Champlain, black Marble is obtained. At our New York Crystal Palace Exhibition a shell marble from Vermont, with bright red spots, attracted much attention-but it has not been worked. A serpentine recently discovered in Roxbury promises to replace the exhausted quarries of Europe. It very closely resembles the European verd antique, but where the latter has carbonate of lime, the former has carbonate of magnesia. According to Dr. Jackson, ours has a superior out-of-door durability, and longer resists decomposition from the atmosphere, from fire, and from acids. It offers no hold to moss. It cuts hard, but is sawn more easily. When polished it is a rich and beautiful green, veined with white and mottled. The quarries of this one State produce over a million dollars annually."

  • 1872 - Slate Quarried in Vermont (1872) in “Slate Quarrying and Manufacture in America” (and Vermont) (pdf), in Scientific American, Vol. XXVII, No. 11. New York, September 14, 1872, pp. 160-161.
  • Early 1800s through 1925 – The Story of the Rock of Ages, Boutwell, Milne & Varnum Company, Montpelier, Vermont, written and compiled by Athol R. Bell, 1925  (History and photographs of the Boutwell, Milne & Varnum Company, which later became known as the present-day Rock of Ages Corporation)
  • 1882 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry in 1882 (transcription), Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1882, J. S. Powell, Director, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1883. Excerpts from the chapters on 1) "Structural Materials" and 2) "The Useful Minerals of the United States."
  • 1883 and 1884 - Vermont Stone and Building Industry in 1883 and 1884 (transcription), Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Years 1883 and 1884 (PDF images of sections), Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1885.
  • 1885 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry in 1885 (transcription), Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1885 (PDF images of sections), David T. Day, Geologist, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1886. Excerpts from the chapter on "Structural Materials," by H. S. Sproull.
  • 1886 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry in 1886 (transcription), Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1886 (PDF images of sections), David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1887. Excerpts from the chapters on 1) "Structural Materials," by William C. Day; and 2) "Novaculite," by George M. Turner.
  • 1887 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1887, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1887 (PDF images of sections), J. W. Powell, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1888.
  • 1887 – The Vermont Quarry Industry circa 1887, “Our Building Stone Supply”  (Quarrying in the United States circa 1887), by George P. Merrill, Scientific American Supplement, No. 577, January 22, 1887, & “Our Building Stone Supply” Conclusion, Scientific American Supplement, No. 578, January 29, 1887. Also available is the similar, but earlier and shorter version of this article:  “Our Building Stone Supply,” Scientific American,  January 8, 1887.
  • 1888 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1888, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1888 (PDF images of sections), J. W. Powell, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1890.
  • 1889 and 1890 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1889, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1889 and 1890 (PDF images of sections), J. W. Powell, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1892.
  • 1891 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1891, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1891 (PDF images of sections), J. W. Powell, Director David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1893.
  • 1892 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1892, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1892 (PDF images of sections), J. W. Powell, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1893.
  • 1893 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1893, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1893 (PDF images of sections), J. W. Powell, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining Statistics and Technology, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1894.
  • 1894 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1894, Excerpts from Sixteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey (PDF images of sections), Part IV. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1894, Nonmetallic Products, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894.
  • 1895 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1895, Excerpts from Seventeenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey (PDF images of sections), Part III. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1895, Nonmetallic Products, Except Coal. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896.
  • 1896 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1896, Excerpts from Eighteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey (PDF images of sections), Part V. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1896, Nonmetallic Products, Except Coal. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1897.
  • 1897 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1897, Excerpts from Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey (PDF images of sections), Part V. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1896, Nonmetallic Products, Except Coal. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1898.
  • 1898 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1898, Excerpts from Twentieth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey (PDF images of sections), Part VI. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1898, Nonmetallic Products, Except Coal and Coke. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899.
  • 1898/1899 - Vermont Stone Industry - Kinds of Stone Produced by Other States Other Than the State of Maryland (and compared to the stone quarried in Maryland). Excerpt from Maryland Geological Survey, Vol. II, "A History of the (Maryland) Quarrying Industry," by Edward B. Mathews, 1898.
  • 1899 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1899, Excerpts from Twenty-first Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey (PDF images of sections), Part VI. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1899, Nonmetallic Products, Except Coal and Coke. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1901.
  • 1900 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1900, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1900 (PDF images of sections), Charles D. Walcott, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining and Mineral Resources, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1901.
  • 1901 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1901, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1901 (PDF images of sections), Charles D. Walcott, Director, David T. Day, Chief of Division of Mining and Mineral Resources, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1902.
  • 1902 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1902, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1902 (PDF images of sections), Charles D. Walcott, Director, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1904.
  • 1903 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1903, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1903 (PDF images of sections), Charles D. Walcott, Director Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1904.
  • 1904 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1904, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1904 (PDF images of sections), Charles D. Walcott, Director, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1905.
  • 1904 - The Vermont Marble Industry up through 1904 - “The Carrara of America,” by Day Allen Willey, in Scientific American, Vol. XCI, No. 10, November 5, 1904, pp. 309, 317-318.
  • 1905 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1905, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1905 (PDF images of sections), Charles D. Walcott, Director, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1906.
  • 1906 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1906, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States - Calendar Year 1906 (PDF images of sections), George Otis Smith, Director, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1907.
  • 1907 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1907, Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1907 (PDF images of sections), Part II.  Nonmetallic Products, George Otis Smith, Director, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey,  Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1908.
  • 1908 - The Vermont Stone and Building Industry, 1908 (transcription), Excerpts from Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1908, Part II - Nonmetallic Products (PDF images of sections), Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1909. Excerpts are from the following chapters: 1) Slate, by A. T. Coons; 2) Stone, by A. T. Coons; 3) part of chapter on Abrasive Materials, by W. C. Phalen.
  • 1909/1910 - the Granite Industry of Vermont - Articles in The Monumental News Magazine:
    • “The Granite Industry of Vermont - Part I. The Barre Quarries,” pp. 894-901, in The Monumental News Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 12, December 1909. (The article includes the following maps: (1) Map of Vermont Showing Granite Centers and Prospects, (2) Map of Quarries About Millstone Hill in Barre and Williamstown, VT.)
    • “The Granite Industry of Vermont - Part II. Quarries Outside of Barre,” pp. 29-33, in The Monumental News Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1, January, 1910.
    • “The Granite Industry of Vermont - Part III. Economic and Geological Facts About Vermont Granite, pp. 125-127, in The Monumental News Magazine, Vol. XXII, No. 2, February, 1910.
  • Circa 1915-1920 - “The Marble Industry of Vermont,” published between 1915 and 1920, Free Press Print Co., Burlington, Vt. (This booklet discusses the history of the Vermont marble industry and lists the various locations in which marble was quarried and in which plants were constructed. There are photographs of the quarries and men cutting, polishing, and carving the stone in addition to some photographs of the Arlington Memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery and a few other products. You can visit these two web sites and many others on the Internet for further information about the Arlington National Cemetery and the Arlington Memorial / Arlington Memorial Amphitheater: (1) The official Arlington National Cemetery Web site, and (2) The Arlington National Cemetery website presented by Michael Robert Patterson.)
  • Up through 1950s – Marble in New England, Newcomen Address by Redfield Proctor, President Vermont Marble Company, The Newcomen Society of England – American Branch, Printed in U.S. A. The Barta Press  (no date of publication – probably mid-1900s)
  • 1994 through 2008 - The Mineral Industry of Vermont, United States Geological Survey (1994 through 2008).
  • Map - Map of Vermont and New Hampshire Showing Location of Granite Quarries. Plate I (photograph) (From The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, 1923.)
    Plate I (photograph) (from The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, 1923. Map size is 231k) Map of Vermont and New Hampshire showing granite quarries
  • Vermont Mining, presented bySaleem H. Ali, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. (This web sites covers the mining of asbestos, copper, granite, marble, and slate in Vermont.) A few of the links from this web site are as follows:
  • Marble Quarry - Vermont (The Philadelphia Museums) This photograph shows a corner of one of the great quarries in what is the most important marble producing section of the United States. Photo of Vermont Marble QuarryThere are in this country other deposits of limestones, some of which are now being worked and others which will produce very largely in the future, but the quarries lying in the neighborhood of Rutland and Proctor, Vermont, produce annually more handsome marble many times over than is taken out in all the rest of America. This is due to the fine quality of stone in the quarries, the improved and efficient methods of working and the convenient transportation facilities which enable the stone to be easily put on the market. Old-fashioned and laborious methods of quarrying and handling the stone have been entirely displaced by the most modern machinery. The stone is too easily cracked and broken to allow of blasting. It is therefore cut out of the beds, in which it lies, by machines called "channelers". These consist of rows of long chisels, set in a strong travelling framework. This gang of chisels is arranged so that it is worked by machinery and vibrates up and down cutting a channel or groove in any desired direction. When the groove is sufficiently long and deep the channeler is set at work in another place cutting a cross channel and the bottom is also perforated. The block can then be easily split away by means of wedges. Blocks of marble thus dislodged are lifted by cranes and derricks worked by steam or electricity and carried rapidly and easily to the railroad cars for transportation. The picture shows one large block of marble being thus lifted to the surface of the ground. The clean-cut steps in the sides of the quarry show plainly how the machines have cut away the marble in great blocks. In the bottom of the quarry are some portable engines which furnish power for the quarrying machinery. A few laborers have been engaged in cleaning away the snow. At Proctor, Vermont, there are very extensive works where large amounts of this marble are dressed to size for building purposes before being shipped away. Much of it is sawed into slabs and polished for ornamental work. Vermont produces some pure white marble, a great deal of which is somewhat bluish in color, some which is variegated and some which is almost jet black.
  • About Bluestone, by Bob Vila. Bluestone. A hard sandstone, is quarried in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The color is generally gray-blue, although it can vary from quarry to quarry and ranges from shades of brown to purple. (The link from which this information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://homearts.com/bvah/a7patb6.htm>
  • “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.)
  • Barre Granite Association (Photographs and history of the Barre granite industry.)
  • Barre Granite - The Barre Granite Industry 1780-1996 History, presented by Bucks County Memorial Company, Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
  • "Barre Granite Quarries, Barre, Vermont," Centennial Field Guide, D. A. Richter, Northeast Section, Geological Society of America, pp. 239-242, 1987.
  • Barre, Vermont – "Restoring the Future of Barre's Granite Industry." The Times Argus, Barre-Montpelier, Vermont. April 7, 1988. Commentary by Philip Cryan MarshallAssociate Professor, Historic Preservation Program School of Architecture, Roger Williams University. Philip Cryan Marshall is also associated with ePreservation.net.
  • Barre, Vermont - Take granite out of Barre, and it would be like taking the Capitol out of Montpelier (Library of Congress - American Memories) (photographs, history and links) (Scroll down to this article.)
  • Comparative Strength of Minnesota and New England Granites (February 1885) The Manufacturer and Builder, Vol. 17, Issue 2, February 1885, pg. 34. (Article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • DiscoverySchool.com (Worldbook) - Vermont Minerals/Mining - Vermont has large deposits of granite, marble and slate, which can be found mainly in the Green Mountains region of Vermont. Granite is also quarried in eastern Vermont. Near Barre, Vermont, the largest granite quarries in the United States are located. Most of the marble quarries are located in the western-central part of Vermont, and valuable marble deposits are located in the Vermont Valley and the Taconic Mountains. The majority of the slate deposits are in the Taconic Mountains. (This information is no longer available on the DiscoverySchool web site.)
    <http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook.html>
  • The Geology of the Marble Deposits - A Decision in Twenty Years Against Science (Court Case Rutland Marble. Co. (Vermont) and Ripley and Barnes (December 1884) The Manufacturer and Builder, Vol. 16, Issue 12, December 1884, pg. 274. (Article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • The Granite Industry in New England by George Rich (February 1892) (Click on "Next Page" near the right top of the page to view the next page.) The New England Magazine, Vol. 11, Issue 6, February 1892, pages. 742-765. (Article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • Granite Manufacturers’ Association of Barre, Vermont (1895) The following information is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 499.

    “President: H. K. Bush. 1st Vice-President: George Lamson. 2nd Vice-President: T. J. Kelleher. Secretary: E. M. Tayntor.”

  • Granite Manufacturers’ Association of New England Officers (1895) The following information is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 499.

    “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.

    Secretary: J. W. Frost, Boston.”

  • Granite Manufacturers of Barre, Montpelier and Northfield, Vermont (1902) (The following information is from the section “Marble and Granite” in Stone: An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to Stone, Marble, Granite, Slate, Cement, Contracting and Building, Vol. XXIV, No. 1, January, 1902, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 62.)

    More than 90 per cent. of the granite manufacturers of Barre, Montpelier and Northfield have signed an agreement putting in effect the new “central office” plan. This means that all estimates on granite work shall pass through the exchange, which will figure the actual cost on the work. The manufacturers will then add their percentage of profit in making bids.

  • "In the Marble Hills (in Vermont)" (1890) This article about marble quarrying includes several very nice sketches relating to quarrying marble from the Century Magazine, September 1890.
  • "In The Marble Quarries of Vermont," from Popular Mechanics, October 1914.
  • Marble & Slate Interests in Vermont (1902) (The following information is from the section “Stone Trade Notes” in Stone: An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to Stone, Marble, Granite, Slate, Cement, Contracting and Building, Vol. XXIV, No. 1, January, 1902, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 68.)

    The correspondents of Bradstreet’s report that the marble and slate interests of Vermonts (sic) are very active. Poultney reports an active slate business for this time of year; quarries are being worked when the weather is suitable and there is a good demand for the product; retail trade is satisfactory. Granite business appears to be improving in Barre; the larger sheds have plenty of work on hand, and the demand for stone at quarries is greater than can be immediately supplied. Retail trade is satisfactory and collections fair.

  • The Marble Industry in Vermont - Excerpts from "Marmor, Stein und Eisen," by Birgit Hirschmann, August, 1999, H. Hirschmann, Ltd.
  • "The Marble Mountains (in Vermont)," by Edwin B. Child, Scribener's Magazine, May, 1905. This article is of the writer's visit to a few marble quarries in Vermont and includes many drawings of that time in 1905 of the quarry and the men working in the quarry.
  • Map of the Marble Region of New England (photo caption) (Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont) (from Annual Report of The Geological Survey of Arkansas For 1890, Vol. IV, Marbles and Other Limestones, by T. C. Hopkins, Little Rock, Arkansas: Brown Printing Company, 1893, pp. 180.
    Plate VIII. The Marble Region of New England circa 1890. The Marble Region of New England circa 1890.
  • The Marbles of Vermont (September 1888) The Manufacturer and Builder, Vol. 20, Issue 9, September 1888, pg. 203. (The article includes a sketch: "Interior View of Marble Quarry at West Rutland, Vermont"; article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • The Marbles of Vermont (December 1890) (Click on "Next Page" to view the following page.) The Manufacture and Builder, Vol. 22, Issue 12, December 1890, pgs. 272-273. (Article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • The Mineral Industry of Vermont (circa 1995) [PDF]
  • Principal Producers of Dimension Stone in the United States in 1995, by State.
    U.S. Department of the Interior - U.S. Geological Survey - Mineral Industry Surveys. (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/stone_dimension/800295.pdf>
  • Table 1 - Principal Producers of Dimension Stone - Vermont
  • State & Company # of
    Quarries         		Kind of
    Stone         		County Headquarters Location
    Hilltop Slate 2 slate Rutland Mid Granville, NY
    Rock of Ages Corp. (Division of John Swenson Granite Co.) 6 granite Windsor & Washington Concord, NH
    Quarry Slate Industries Inc. 1 Slate Rutland Poultney, VT
    U.S. Quarried Slate Products 1 slate Windsor Fair Haven, VT
    Vermont Quarries Co. 2 marble Rutland Proctor, VT
    Vermont Structural Slate Co. 3 slate Rutland Fair Haven, VT
  • Proctor Vermont - Marble Quarry (Keystone View Co. photograph and text, #13701, 1913)
  • Rock Steady - Vermont's quarry industry produces stone with a worldwide reputation for excellence, by Craig Bailey. Originally published in Business People, February 1999. Photos by Jeff Clarke. (This site includes a photograph of the Rock of Ages granite quarry.)
  • Roof Slate Producing Region in Vermont/New York - Physical and Historical Profiles, by Philip Cryan Marshall, Geologist/Conservator, "Slated for Preservation."
  • Slate - Basic Instructions: How To Identify Your Slate, presented by Jenkins Slate Roofing Services, Grove City, Pennsylvania.

    The following types of slate are discussed and photographs of some of the slate used on roofs are included: (1) Sea green slate from Vermont; (2) Purple slate from Vermont; (3) Unfading green slate Vermont; (4) Pennsylvania black slate (below) from the Lehigh Northampton slate district; (5) "Bangor" black slates is from Bangor, Pennsylvania; (6) Ribbon slate from Pennsylvania; (7) Chapman slate from the Lehigh Northampton district of Pennsylvania; (8) Peach Bottom slates from Pennsylvania and Maryland; (9) Monson slates, a dark black slate, is quarried at Monson, Maine; (10) Buckingham slates or Virginia slates; and (11) New York red slate.

  • Slate Colors (from Vermont and other states), presented by Vermont Slate Depot, Wells, Vermont.
  • Slate from Vermont (Vermont Slate Colors), presented by RMG Stone Products, Inc., Castleton, Vermont
  • A Study in Slate: Welsh Immigration: Its Effects on the Slate Valley (1840-1870), The Slate Industry from 1901-1930, and Environmental Impacts of Slate Quarries, A Project by Scott Carpenter, in partial fulfillment of a BS - Environmental Studies, December 9, 2002. (The "Abstract" below is used with permission of the author. You can view the entire document at the following PDF link.) [PDF]

    "The Slate Valley of Vermont and New York is an area that covers approximately 300 square miles and is home to about 10 towns. Slate from this area is highly valued for its many different colors. Many Welsh people immigrated to Vermont in the 1850's from quarrying villages in North Wales. They changed the face of quarrying in the Slate Valley because of mining techniques and tools brought with them from Wales. They also changed the towns due to social and economic impact. This study focused on the correlation between the increase in Welsh immigration between 1840 and 1870, the increase in the slate business over the same time span, the slate industry from 1901 to 1930, and the environmental impact that quarries have on the surrounding landscape. The research has been historical, from libraries (University of Vermont, Green Mountain College), the Slate Valley Museum, and from the State of Vermont Census and business materials from the Building and General Services Department in Montpelier Vermont."

  • “Tools and Machinery of the Granite Industry,” by Paul Wood, in The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Inc.
    • Part I. Vol. 59, No. 2, June 2006. (“Introduction: This article, the first in a series of four on granite working, deals with granite as a material, an industry, and a product and begins the description of the granite quarrying process.”)
    • Part II. Vol. 59, No. 3, September 2006. (“Introduction: This article, the second in a series of four on granite working, completes the description of the quarrying process....”)
    • Part III. Vol. 59, No. 4, December 2006. (“Granite Finishing: A small number of basic finished dimension stones made up the great majority of granite shed production. For gravestones and private....”)
    • Part IV. Vol. 60, No. 1, March 2007. (“This article is the last in a series of four on the tools and machinery of granite working....”)
  • "Vermont - A State of Mind and Mountains" by Ethel A. Starbird, National Geographic Staff, Photographs by Nathan Benn, National Geographic, July 1974, extracted from pages 40-41. (The following quote is reproduced with the permission of National Geographic. I have not been able to gain permission so far to reproduce a very unforgettable photograph by Nathan Benn of a view from high up in the quarry looking to the bottom. Peggy B. Perazzo)

    "While early Vermonters reaped meager rewards from the rock soil, later ones found riches under it. The state has long been among the nation's leading producers of marble as well as granite, and of asbestos, talc, and slate." "Threading a maze of tunnels, I followed assistant foreman Maurice Price through the Vermont Marble Company mine deep inside Dorset Mountain. In eerie light dimmed by dust, shadowy figures extracted famous Danby marble, distinctively streaked with clouds of color...." "My dad wanted me to stay on the farm...you can't beat the climate (in the quarry); about 50 degrees year-round." "Less comfortable conditions prevail in another Vermont quarry, an open-pit operation nearby West Pawlet, where a long line of Welshmen have helped keep the slate industry alive." "Jack Williams held a chunk of stone between his aproned knees and skillfully cleaved slates, slim as a silver dollar, for my farmhouse roof. In 1948 this barrell-chested bachelor left the quarries of Wales for those of Vermont and a new life that closely resembles the old...." "Fair Haven, another Welsh stronghold, lies a few miles north, in the center of the nation's major colored-slate belt...."

  • Vermont Marble (May 1891) The Manufacturer and Builder, Vol. 23, Issue 5, May 1891, pgs. 105-106. May 1891. (Article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • Vermont Marble Company, Proctor, Vermont - Keeping Up With Marble: Sketching the Growth of a Great Industry and Telling Why Marble Has Kept in the Lead, published circa 1912. (book)
  • Vermont - New York - Slate Industry - Slated for Preservation, by Marshall, Philip Cryan, et. al. "Slated for Preservation," presented at The Roofing Conference and Exposition for Historic Buildings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 17-19, 1999. Vermont/New York – Credits: National Slate Association, Slate Roofs, 1926, pp. 8-9 (history, quarry locations, colors available) Philip Cryan Marshall is also associated with ePreservation.net.
  • The Vermont Slate Industry (March 1869) - The Manufacturer and Builder, Vol. 1, Issue 3, March 1869, pgs. 83-86. (Article in digital images viewed at American Memory, Library of Congress.)
  • Vermont Stone Workers – Reduction in Length of Work Day – Vermont Marble Co. (From Stone: An Illustrated Magazine, Vol. XII, No. 1, December, 1895, "Notes From Quarry and Shop" section, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 80.)

    "All the help of the Vermont Marble company at Proctor, Vt., with the exception of the men employed in the mills, began working nine hours a day Nov. 1 a reduction of one hour each day, with corresponding reduction in wages."

  • A Virtual Tour of the North Country Black Quarry Pit and Mill presented by the New England Slate Company.

Stone Carvers, Stone Cutters, etc., in Vermont

  • Tom Blatt, Sculptor, Brooklyn, New York - Visit Tom Blatt Sculpture & Paintings web site to view photographs of sculptures in Indiana limestone and Vermont marble.
  • Giuliano Cecchinelli, a sculptor in Barre, Vermont. Don Myers presents the account of his interview with Mr. Cecchinelli in his essay entitled, "The Last Italian." Don Myers describes the essay as follows: "This is the story of a monumental sculpture, grave stones, and a true stone artist. The last Italian thinks of himself as workman, an ordinary carver. I think of him as extra an extraordinary artist." (The link from which the essay, "The Last Italian," was located is no longer available. I am leaving this entry here in case I can locate Don Myers new web site in the future. Peggy B. Perazzo, January 2006)
    <http://sculpturedisplay.com/The%20Last%20Italian.html>
    • Giuliano Cecchinelli is mentioned in the article entitled, “A Town of Grave Importance: Resting in peace, Barre, Vermont, is a little town with a reputation carved in stone,” in National Geographic, by Margaret G. Zackowitz, photographs by Cary Wolinsky, October 2003.
  • Michael Fannin, Stone Carver, Middletown Springs, Vermont
  • Rock of Ages Vermont
  • “The Rule Family: Vermont Gravestone Carvers and Marble Dealers,” by Ann M. Cathcart, in Markers XIX, Association for Gravestone Studies, 2002. (New York, Vermont, USA)
  • Anita Socinski, Stone Cutter and Owner of A&M Stoneworks, Colchester, Chittenden County, Vermont.

    “Rock Star: Anita Socinski has carved out her niche as a respected stonecutter,” by Cal Workman, Business People Vermont Magazine, originally published in May 2003.

    • “Colchester Woman Builds Reputation in Stoneworks,” by Helen J. Simon, Burlington Free Press, October 17, 2005. (You can purchase a full copy of this article from the Burlington Free Press Archives.)

      “While an increasing number of women own or manage stone-fabrication facilities today, it is more unusual to come across one who also works hands-on with the material. One example is Anita Socinski. In 1996, the fourth-generation stone-industry worker launched A & M Stoneworks, a company in Colchester , Vt. , that has two employees and annual gross sales of about $500,000. At the 3,500-square-foot workshop, A&M designs, cuts, and installs stone; makes countertops, bathroom vanities, and fireplace surrounds from marble, granite, soapstone, limestone, and stone composite; and performs stone restoration. Socinski credits her great grandfather, an immigrant from Poland , with passing down his stoneworking skills. Today, one brother runs her father's business--Densmore Monuments in South Burlington--and one uncle owns Artistic Cemetery Memorials in Rutland and another owns Rutland Marble and Granite in Castleton....”

    • “Sharin Stone,” Seven Days, published May 2, 2007. (The link from which the following quotation was taken is no longer available.)
      <http://www.sevendaysvt.com/columns/work-local/2007/sharin-stone.html>

      “Anita Socinski rocks the world of high-end countertops, fireplaces, backsplashes and vanities through A&M Stoneworks, a custom-carving business she founded in 1996....”

  • Jerry Williams, Barre Sculpture Studio. "Barre, Vermont with its rich history as the 'granite capitol of the world' provides the backdrop for you to explore the work of sculptor Jerry Williams."
  • WPA Life Histories from Vermont (Library of Congress American Memory)

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