Historic Quarries

The quarrying of stone for cellars and foundations began in Maine in the 1700's as settlers discovered exposed ledges of granite. Beginning in the early 1800s commercial quarries started producing stone for buildings, bridges and monuments. Maine quarries along the coast and islands were particularly successful in the early years because of the quality and depth of the granite and their location made it easy to ship stone to the growing cities of the east coast. The industry peaked in the early 1900s. Although building and monument stone is still quarried in Maine today, the number of working quarries is just a fraction of what it was at its peak. This is due to two major technology changes. First, with the expansion of railroads, stone could be readily transported from quarries close to the building site. Second, steel reinforced concrete became the most common construction technique for buildings and bridges.

Coming soon! A map of Maine showing historic quarry sites - stay tuned.