List of Quarries in Vermont & Quarry
Links, Photographs and Articles

• Barre, Vermont – the South Barre Granite Company  (Advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. 30, No. 10, October 1920, pp. 62)

  South Barre Granite Co., Barre, Vermont
  A Hammered Memorial in Tablet Form

  The Dalla Bernardina memorial is a most effective example of the tablet form which is becoming so popular.  The velvety smoothness of the hammered surface lends an air of stateliness.  The carved sunken wreath relieves it of severity and forms a most fitting frame for the bust. 

  There is a fine example of carving in this memorial, effectively worked out and well placed.  Individually characterizes the whole monument.  It speaks well for the kind of work we turn out.

South Barre Granite Co., Barre, Vermont – Monument advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, October 1920, pp. 62

• Barre, Vermont – George Straiton (Monument Manufacturer and Dealer) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 522.)

  George Straiton, Barre, VT.

  Manufacturer and Dealer in Barre Granite Monuments,

  Tablets and Cemetery Work.

  • Barre, Vermont – George Straiton, Quarry Owner and Manufacturer  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XVIII, No. 3, March 1906, pp. 195)

    George Straiton, Quarry Owner and Manufacturer of Monumental and Building Work
    Barre, Vermont
    Richard V. Storer, Manager Western Office, Tacoma Building, Chicago

“The Iowa State Monument for National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi.  H. H. Kitson, Guy Lowell, Architect.  Manufactured by George Straiton, from Barre ‘White’ granite.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont - the Straiton Granite Quarry (from The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, by T. Nelson Dale, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1923.)

  The Straiton Quarry was “about 1 ¼ miles east-southeast of the top of Millstone Hill, in Barre.” The operator was George Straiton Quarry Co. of Barry, Vermont. The granite is “light and medium Barre” with a light medium and medium gray color and fine to medium texture.

  The Straiton Quarry opened in 1905. In 1907 it measured about 100 feet square and had an average depth of 10 feet.

  The granite from this quarry was used for buildings and monuments.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – J. E. Sullivan Granite Shops (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 147. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “J. E. Sullivan has a granite shop just west of the National Granite Co. Mr. Sullivan has had over twenty years’ experience as a practical workman in the business. He commenced business in Barre in the winter of 1884 and 1885. He turns out a general line of manufactured goods for the wholesale and retail trade and employs from ten to fifteen men.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont - the Sunnyside Granite Quarry (from The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, by T. Nelson Dale, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1923.)

  Sunnyside Quarry was in line with the Barclay Quarry. It was operated by the Sunnyside Granite Company of Barre, Vermont.

• Barre, Vermont – the Tayntor & Company Granite Quarry  (Photograph from “A Quarry Railroad” (from Barre, Vermont, to the quarries), The Monumental News, July 1892)

Steel derrick at Tayntor & Co.’s granite quarry (ca. 1892)

• Barre, Vermont – the C. E. Tayntor & Company’s Quarry, October 1895 – in “The Excursion to the Quarries” (at Barre, Vermont), by C. W. Hills, Jackson, Michigan, in The Monumental News, Vol. 7, No. 10, October 1895, pp. 621-622.

“View at C. E. Tayntor & Co.’s quarry, Barre, Vt., during visit of western dealers.” (The Monumental News, Oct. 1895)

• Barre, Vermont – the C. E. Tayntor & Company  (Advertisement in The Monumental News, Vol. 7, No. 12, December 1895, pp. 761)
  

“Portion of entrance to vault in Woodlawn Cemetery, N.Y.” (The Monumental News, Dec. 1895, pp. 761

Taking the Lead For High Class work – Hammered and Carved Light Barre Granite

“This illustration represents the possibilities of carved work in our White Granite.  The product of our quarries is second to none.  Its superiority is conceded by those familiar with it.  We can refer to the best work in the largest Eastern Cemeteries.  Dimension stock of all sizes shipped on short notice.

Always specify Tayntor’s White Granite for your fine carved hammered work.  Order rough stock direct from us.”

(photo caption in ad)  “Portion of entrance to vault in Woodlawn Cemetery, N.Y.”

C. E. Tayntor & Co., Producers of the best Light, Medium, and Dark Blue Barre Granite
Barre, VT.

• Barre, Vermont – C. E. Tayntor & Company – “The World’s Largest Derrick” (located at the C.E. Tayntor quarry in Graniteville, Vermont), by Andreas Kuehnpast.  “This article was originally published in The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus on August 4, 2014.  It is used here with permission.”  (Andreas Kuehnpast is an industrial engineer from Germany.  In his spare time he researches the Barre granite industry and the railroad that served it, the Barre & Chelsea Railroad.)
  

  “This circa 1895 photo of the C.E. Tayntor quarry shows the largest derrick in the world in the center.”  (“The World’s Largest Derrick,” by Andreas Kuehnpast. Photo from the collection of Todd Paton and is used with permission.)

• Barre, Vermont – Troup & Allan (Manufacturers) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 518.)

Troup & Allan, Barre, Vermont.

Manufacturers of Barre Granite Monuments and Cemetery Work

From Best Light and Dark Stock. Estimates Cheerfully Given.

• Barre, Vermont – Trow & Holden Company  (Advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. 27, No. 2, February 1917, pp. 58)

  Trow & Holden Co., Barre, Vermont – The Trow & Holden Line of “Barre” Tools

  Operates Close to the Wall:  The “Barre” Crane Surfacer is the result of exhaustive experiments, the experience gained in the installation of hundreds of surfacers, and a thorough study of the requirements of the leading finishers….

Trow & Holden Co., Barre, Vermont, advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. 27, No. 2, February 1917, pp. 58 (photo caption in advertisement)  “The ‘Barre’ Crane Surfacer.  Made in two sizes….

• Barre, Vermont – Trow & Holden Company  (Advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. 27, No. 2, February 1917, pp. 43)

  Trow & Holden Co., Barre, VT - Chisels for Pneumatic Tools

  Sales Agents:  The Tool Co., 58 Marietta St., Atlanta, Georgia; Eccles & Smith Co., San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; Portland, Oregon

Trow & Holden Co., Barre, Vermont – Chisels for Pneumatic Tools advertisement

• Barre, Vermont – Trow & Holden Inc. (tool manufacturer), presented in the “Vermont Products” section of the Central Vermont chamber of Commerce web site. (Scroll down to the entry.)

  Trow & Holden Inc. manufactures “the finest stone carving and masonry tools including precision pneumatic hammers, carbide-tipped chisels, hand tools, specialty hammers, stone splitting wedges and shims....”

• Barre, Vermont – Vermont Granite Co. (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 510.)

  Vermont Granite Co., (Incorporated), Barre, VT.

  Quarries of the celebrated Barre Granite. Manufacturers of Monumental and all kinds of Cemetery Work for the Trade. Special attention given to Squaring and Polishing Dies, Caps, Bases, etc., and shipping Unfinished Dimension Granite in the Rough a Specialty.

  All Branches of the Work are Done in Our Own shops.

  • Barre, Vermont – Vermont Granite Co.   (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, November 1895, Vol. 7, No. 11, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 702.)

  Vermont Granite Company Advertisement, The Monumental News, Nov. 1895

  Vermont Granite Co., (Incorporated)

  Quarriers of the Celebrated Barre Granite
  Manufacturers of Monumental and all kinds of Cemetery Work for the Trade.
  Special attention given to Squaring and Polishing Dies, Caps, Bases, etc., and shipping Unfinished Dimension Granite in the Rough a Specialty.
  All Branches of the Work are Done in Our Own Shops.
  Barre, VT.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Vermont Granite Co. (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 144. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

“The Vermont Granite Co. is one of the largest granite working firms in Barre. The location of the works is on the opposite side of the railroad track from the depot building, and the plant has an area of four acres. The Vermont Granite Company was organized April 1, 1887, succeeding the well-known firm of White Brothers, which began business in March, 1882. The company has a capital of $60,000, and its officers are: S. C. White, president; A. E. Bruce, vice-president; H. K. Bush, secretary. The directory consists of S. C. White, George F. White, H. K. Bush, and A. E. Bruce. The Messrs. White, named in the directory, were the original proprietors of the industry, and both are practical sculptors and stonecutters of over forty years’ experience. Mr. H. K. Bush has been for many years in hotel business at Saratoga Springs and Troy, N.Y., and is a thorough business man, who brings rare discernment and executive ability to the company. The Messrs. Bruce formerly composed the firm of Bruce Brothers, who conducted stonecutting works in Barre. The Vermont Granite Co. owns 110 acres of quarry property, in different parcels, and their wide range covers every variety of granite found in Barre. The company gives employment to over 100 hands in the various departments of the industry – stonecutting, quarrying, polishing, hauling, etc. Every facility here exists for the rapid and economical conduct of the business, and the company is able to dress granite at the least possible expense. The leading business of the company is in furnishing granite monuments at wholesale, and in dealing in rough granite, shipped in blocks. The company also sells granite quarries.”

• Barre, Vermont – W. A. Hambleton Granite Monuments & Statuary Catalog At Wholesale, Book No. 10, American & Foreign, Mansfield, Ohio; Barre, Vermont; Aberdeen, Scotland.
  • Barre, Vermont – W. A. Hambleton, Wholesale Granite and Statuary  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XVIII, No. 4, April 1909, pp. 285)

    W. A. Hambleton, Wholesale Granite and Statuary
    Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.A. – Barre, Vermont – Aberdeen, Scotland

    My wide experience gained by successfully supplying the wants of dealers, located in all sections of the country, has given me a valuable knowledge of what designs sell the easiest.  This knowledge is at the disposal of our customers and we will gladly make recommendations for stock orders and can quote very attractive prices.

W. A. Hambleton, Wholesale Granite and Statuary, Mansfield Ohio; Barre, Vermont; Aberdeen, Scotland – Advertisement from The Monumental News, April 1909, pp. 285

• Barre, Vermont – W. A. Lane (Cutting Works and Machinery) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 475.)

  Granite City Column Cutting Works - W. A. Lane, Proprietor

  Rope Buffers Are The Best

  (Caption over photo: Granite City Polishing Machine)

  Machinery, Samples, Round Monuments.

  • Barre, Vermont - W. A. Lane - Turning Lathes (article). The following information is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 507-508.

    “We observe that in the notice we gave W. A. Lane in our July letter to the Monumental News, we were made to say that Mr. Lane is making changes in his turning lathes and will soon be able to get carved work from the smallest sizes called for up to fourteen feet in length. Mr. Lane is of an inventive turn of mind but he modestly admits that, so far, he has not been able to produce a lathe which will turn out carved work. However, we shall not be surprised if his fertile genius will some day present to the public a machine which will produce carved work in granite of the most delicate, artistic and highly finished design.”

  • Barre, Vermont – W. A. Lane, Manufacturer  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, April 1903, pp. 223)

    Dies, Caps, Bases squared and Polished.– Selected Stock, Reliable Workmanship.
    W. A. Lane, Manufacturer, Barre, Vermont

W. A. Lane, Manufacturer  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, April 1903, pp. 223)

• Barre, Vermont – W. A. Lane, Manufacturer  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, March 1906, pp. 237)

  W. A. Lane, Manufacturer of Granite city Polishing Machines, Barre, Vermont
  Rope, Buffers, Scroll Rubbing Wheels, etc. Monumental Work in all its branches – Pneumatic Tools Used

W. A. Lane, Manufacturer, Barre, Vermont  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, March 1906, pp. 237)

• Barre, Vermont – W. D. Kidder & Co. (Monument Manufacturer) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 524.)

  W. J. Kidder W. D. Kidder - W. D. Kidder & Co., Barre, VT.

  We beat no drums, but we cut first-class monumental work at prices that simply say “We are in it.” We use both Light and Dark Barre Stock.

• Barre, Vermont – W. T. Kenerson & Co. (Monument Manufacturers) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 527.)

  W. T. Kenerson & Co., Barre, VT.

  Manufacturers of Barre Granite Monuments And Cemetery Work.

• Barre, Vermont – Waldron Shield & Company – the Plant  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XXXIII. No. 1, January 1921, pp. 78)

  Waldron Shield & Company, Barre, Vermont
  Five polishing mills, six surfacing machines, three derricks

The Waldron Shield & Co. Plant in Barre, Vermont, from The Monumental News, Jan. 1921, pp. 78.

• Barre, Vermont – Walker and Glyssen (Manufacturers) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 515.)

  Walker and Glyssen, Barre, Vt.

  Manufacturers of Barre Granite, Monuments and General Cemetery Work.

  We furnish Good Work and Good Stock At Reasonable Prices.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Warley & Williams

  See: Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the W. M. Warley Granite Shops (circa 1899) (Granite) below.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Warley Bros.

  See: Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the W. M. Warley Granite Shops (circa 1899) (Granite) below.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the W. M. Warley Granite Shops (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 145. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “W. M. Warley’s granite shops are located on Summer Street. Mr. Warley started the business in Barre in the spring of 1879, when the granite industry was just being developed and only a few men were engaged in the business. Mr. Warley was then of the firm of Batchelder, Warley & Co., and successively since of the firms of Warley Bros. and Warley & Williams. Since January 1, 1887, he has conducted the business alone. He deals in both rough and finished granite, and employs sixteen men.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Wells, Lamson, & Co. Granite Quarry (AKA Pirie Granite Quarry, AKA Pirie’s Select Barre Granite Quarries, AKA J. K. Pirie Quarry, AKA J. K. Pirie Estate Quarry)
• Barre, Vermont – Wells, Lamson & Co. - Barre Granite Quarries (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, back cover.)

  Wells, Lamson & Co. - Barre Granite Quarries, Barre, VT.

  Dark, Medium and Light

  Manufacturers of Monuments, Statuary, Mausoleums and Building Work. Rough Stock A Specialty. Stock Squared and Polished to Order. Our extensive Quarries produce all grades of stock suitable for Monuments. Statuary and Building Work, and of any size, to the limit of transportation. Water Power and Modern Machinery enables us to manufacture at a minimum cost. Write us for estimates.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wells, Lamson & Co. Monument Works (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 143-144. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “Wells, Lamson & Co. – This well-known firm, which is particularly well qualified to make contracts for the construction of any class of monumental work, and furnish original designs on short notice, was established in March, 1880, by Smith & Wells, the organization of the present firm dating January 1882. The members of the firm are S. O. Wells, George Lamson, and J. K. Pirie. The location of the firm’s shops is near the depot, the office being the nearest to the station of any of the granite firms. Two quarries are operated by Wells, Lamson & Co., one embracing fifteen and one-half acres of dark granite, and the other nine and one-half acres, medium in color. Half a hundred men are employed by the firm. The leading business of Wells, Lamson & Co. is in dark granite, which is very popular, for the reason that the contrast between the polished and the hammered surfaces is very great, enabling inscriptions to be distinguished at considerable distances. Every class of monumental work is executed by this firm, but the leading specialty is heavy work, for which their stone is perfectly adapted, and in much favor.”

• Barre, Vermont – Wells Lamson Quarry Company  (Advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. 27, No. 2, February 1917, pp. 54)

  Wells Lamson Quarry Company, Barre, Vermont
  The Largest Granite Centre in the World – “The Old Reliable Quarry”

  Some of the finest monuments and mausoleums in the country have been cut in Barre granite taken from our quarry.  We can give you the best Barre granite in the rough that has been quarried on ‘the hill’ – and remember the selection of the granite is just as important as the selection of the right design….

Wells Lamson Quarry Company, Barre, Vermont. The Largest Granite Centre in the World – “The Old Reliable Quarry,” advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, February 1917, pp. 54.

• Barre, Vermont – Wells Lamson Quarry Company  (Advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. XXVII, No. 7, July 1917, pp. 53) (Note: the same quarry photograph was used in this July 1917 advertisement as was used in the February 1917 advertisement above.)
  

  Wells Lamson Quarry Company, Barre, Vermont
  The Largest Granite Centre in the World
  “The Old Reliable Quarry”

  “Some of the finest monuments and mausoleums in the country have been cut in Barre granite taken from our quarry.  We can give you the best Barre Granite in the rough that has been quarried on ‘the hill’….”

• Barre, Vermont – the Wells, Lamson & Company Granite Quarry from 1882 to 1903  (Granite)  (from “J. K. Pirie Estate, Barre, Vermont 1882 – 1926,” Pirie’s Genuine Barre Granite, J. K. Pirie Estate, circa 1926)

(Excerpts from the brochure.  The entire brochure is available at the link above.)

“The Scot is never at home except when he is traveling.  This explains in part why J. K. Pirie, a journeyman stone-cutter, landed from Scotland at St. George, New Brunswick, in 1878.  And he kept traveling.  Maine was handy, so he worked his way down through the towns and cities of the coast until he came to Quincy in Massachusetts.  From there he sought out South Ryegate in Vermont, and thence, in 1881, he arrived in Barre.

“Here the granite industry was just beginning.  He decided to give up journeying and begin with it.  With George Lamson he went prospecting into the hills for a likely boulder or two from which to cut monuments.  They found a large and attractive one on a twelve-acre lot…So the two partners bought the twelve acres, and started to raise their own crop from its many boulders…Money was later needed for expansion.  They borrowed it from their blacksmith, Sidney Wells.  Out of this assistance came the firm of Wells, Lamson and Company, which remained as a co-partnership until Mr. Well’s death, when Mr. Pirie bought out his interest.  The firm name was retained…in 1900 Mr. Lamson died.  Three years later the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Pirie taking the dark quarry, and Mr. Lamson’s successors taking the light quarry and a manufacturing plant which the firm owned.  Their part of the enterprise they sold to the Wells-Lamson Quarry Company...For eighteen years, Mr. Pirie continued to run and develop the dark quarry.  By the time of his death, in 1921, its product was in the forefront of monumental stones…Mr. Pirie left his quarry as an open estate, to be run by his sons, and after them by his grandsons….”  (J. K. Pirie’s sons were James G. Pirie and Fred F. Pirie.)

“The Pirie granite quarry, from a photograph made in 1883.  Ox-teams were the tractive power, and the size of stone was limited to their haulage.”	“Down the mountain side of the Pirie quarry.  But this side is the inside.  The quarry is a granite mountain dug inside out, a crater 200 feet deep and 300 feet wide.”	“Monument of J. K. Pirie, a founder with a vision in the granite industry.  It was designed after his own ideas.  Many of the finest memorials in the United States are made of Pirie’s granite.”

(Left side of photograph)	(Center portion of photograph) “Panorama of the Pirie quarry, 1926.  The quarry is a deep bowl in the mountain top, giving clear stone on all sides.  Grout is deposited clear of the quarry on the mountain sides, making room for development in any direction.”	(Right side of photograph)

“A side wall of the Pirie quarry, and the men who have made it.  Stone of the first quality is immediately available in any size at any time, and is delivered with the Pirie certificate, which guarantees it.”	“Pirie’s granite is part of the first rock formed by the cooling of the earth – the oldest rock formation of millions of years ago.”	“This may have been the monument you ordered.  If so, you got good stock, ‘the old reliable’ Pirie.  You can get the same today or any day.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Wells-Lamson Quarry Company  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. 34, No. 1, January 1922, pp. 50)

  “The S. Rizzi Family Monument at Barre, Vt.  Those who know the best use Wells-Lamson stock.  Wells-Lamson stock Makes the best carved work.” (The Monumental News, Vol. 34, No. 1, January 1922, pp. 50)

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont - the Wells Lamson Co. Quarry (AKA the Pirie Granite Quarry ) “Story of The Pirie Quarry,” in Monumental News: Granite, Marble, Stone, Bronze Sculpture, June, 1923, pp. 343.

  “A final decree of settlement was made yesterday in the estate of the late James K. Pirie, prominent Barre quarry owner, by which the extensive quarry is decreed in trust to James G. Pirie and Fred F. Pirie during their lives, to be operated for the benefit of the widow and ten children of the deceased. This trust is created after the bestowal of several private bequests. The order was signed by Judge G. L. Stow of Orange county probate court.

  “The decree brings out in some detail an interesting chapter in the history of Barre granite as given in the Barre Times - a chapter which tells of the energy and initiative of a poor boy applied in a field of activity where there was great promise and where those efforts were crowned with such a degree of success that an estate of considerable proportions was left. The amount of the property left in trust is not revealed but it is known that the estate was one of the largest to go through the probate court of the district recently.

  “When ‘Jim” Pirie came to Barre in 1880 from Aberdeen, Scotland, by way of Maine and Quincy, Mass., his worldly goods didn’t total very much but he had plenty of enthusiasm and a good working knowledge of granite. He hammered away in Barre stonesheds for a year or so and then, allying himself with George Lamson, he began prospecting on the Barre hill where Midas dreams were to come true in later years.

  “‘Jim’ and George went up on S. W. Flint’s pasture, which was worthless as a farm proposition and so poor for pasturage that it couldn’t even be fenced. Their eyes lighted on a boulder that looked promising. So they approached the owner with a view to purchase. They found that while the owner realized he had a worthless pasture he nevertheless wasn’t going to let the land go for little or nothing what with the opening up of quarries in the region.

  “So the granite prospectors were somewhat prepared when the owners (sic) asked them $1200 for his stony pasture of a dozen acres - and they readily snapped up the proposition. With eight acres added, Flint ’s pasture has been turning out splendid dark Barre granite by the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in the forty years since a cow couldn’t find a decent living on the property.

  “Having gained title to the flint pasture, Messrs. Pirie and Lamson proceeded in 1882, to strip off what little soil there was and opened a quarry operating under the name of Wells Lamson Co. There they dug out some of the finest Barre granite, and the quarry has since been sending its product to all quarters of the continent. After the settlement of Mr. Lamson’s estate in 1900 Mr. Pirie became the sole operator of the quarry and was at the time of his death in 1921, probably the largest sole operator on the Barre hill.

  “For nearly forty years Mr. Pirie was engaged in quarrying operations there. He combined business integrity with a good product and he gained an excellent standing with the trade, so good a standing, in fact, that the company retains on its list of customers today some people who were customers thirty years ago. Thus it will be seen that, starting with the first big rush of the Barre granite industry, Mr. Pirie contributed very largely to the enormous development of the last four decades, maintaining the good will of the trade, of his business associates and of his employees. The Pirie quarry is by no means the largest in the Barre district, but it has always been a prominent factor in the business. It employs under normal times approximately fifty men.

  “Several of Mr. Pirie’s boys grew up with the business and two of them, James G. and Fred F., to whom the quarry is left in trust, have been closely associated in the conduct of the business of late. James G. Pirie, has indeed, been actively engaged in the management of the quarrying end of the business for ten years.

  “In keeping with the development of the business, a town office of the concern was located in Barre City, being in the Quarry Bank building and being in charge of James G. Pirie, who, a year ago, took up his residence in Barre City and who has since become prominently identified with various affairs of the community. Fred F. Pirie will manage the quarry end of the business and will reside at the quarries where he at present resides. All the eleven heirs to the Pirie estate reside in this vicinity with the exception of one daughter, who is in the south.

  “The J. K. Pirie estate on May 5 signed an agreement with the Quarry Workers’ union similar to the agreements made by other quarry companies on the Barre hill which have settled with the union.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont - the Wells-Lamson Granite Quarry (from The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, by T. Nelson Dale, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1923.)

  The Wells-Lamson Quarry was “640 feet above the city and about northeast of the top of Millstone Hill.” The operator was the Wells-Lamson Quarry Co. of Barre, Vermont. The granite is “light and medium Barre,” with colors of light, medium, slightly bluish-gray and of medium-bluish gray color. texture ranges from fine to medium.

  Accessory minerals: Oligoclase, albite(?), titanite (sphene), and apatite.

  The Wells-Lamson Quarry opened about 1885. In 1907 it was estimated to measure about “400 feet in a N. 25° W. direction by 300 feet across and from 50 to 60 feet in depth.”

  The granite from this quarry was used for monuments and buildings.

• Barre, Vermont – The Wells-Lamson Quarry Company Granite Quarry, Barre, Vermont

  (postcard photograph; published by The Collotype Co., Elizabeth, N.J. and N.Y., unmailed)

• Barre, Vermont - Wells Lamson Quarry, Barre, Vermont

  (postcard photograph; unmailed)

• Barre, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse (Stone Dealer) (The following advertisement is from The Reporter: Devoted To The Interests of Marble and Granite Workers, Vol. XVII, No. 6, published by Nichols & Co., Chicago, Illinois, June, 1884, pp. 12.)

  Wetmore & Morse,
  Wholesale Dealers in Barre Granite.

  Make a Specialty of
  Fine Granite Monuments, Statuary, Vaults
  and General Cemetery and Building Work from the very best
  Barre Granite, taken from their own quarries.

  Dealers Furnished upon the most Liberal Terms.
  Barre, Vermont.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse Granite Quarry  (Photograph from “A Quarry Railroad” (from Barre, Vermont, to the quarries), The Monumental News, July 1892.

Map of the railroad from Barre, Vermont, to the quarries (ca. 1892)	Steel derrick at Tayntor & Co.’s granite quarry (ca. 1892)

“Mountain King” at the switch back (near Barre, Vermont, ca. 1892)	Scene at the Wetmore & Morse granite quarry (near Barre, Vermont, ca. 1892)

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse Granite Co. (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 329-330. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “The Wetmore & Morse Granite Co. was organized under the laws of Vermont, January 29, 1889. The capital is $80,000. The directors f the company are Albert Johonnott, W. E. Adams, F. A. Dwinell, Fred E. Smith, F. M. Corry, H. H. McIntire, and H. H. Wetmore. The officers are Albert Johonnott, president; W. E. Adams, vice-president; F. A. Dwinell, secretary; and F. L. Eaton, treasurer. This company owns about twenty-six acres of quarry in Barre, and the first one opened there. In the early spring the company intends to erect spacious granite sheds in Montpelier, employ 100 men, and manufacture building granite, statuary, and all kinds of cemetery work, and will also deal in rough granite.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse Granite Company  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XIX, No. 2, February 1907, pp. 143)

  Wetmore & Morse Granite Co. – Office:  Montpelier, Vermont – Quarries:  Barre, Vermont

Wetmore & Morse Granite Company granite quarry at Barre, Vermont – Advertisement from The Monumental News, February 1907, pp. 143.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse Granite Company Quarry  (from The Monumental News, Vol. XXVI, No. 9, Chicago, September 1914, pp. 565)
  

  The Wetmore & Morse Granite Co., Montpelier, Vermont
  (Quarries at Barre)

  “This is a view of one of the greatest granite quarries in the world.  Six and seven carloads of rough stock shipped from this quarry every day in the y ear.  All Barre granite is good, but there is none better than ours, and our policy is to fill all orders promptly and satisfactorily.”

The Wetmore & Morse Granite Company advertisement, Montpelier, Vermont (Quarries at Barre), from The Monumental News, Chicago, September 1914, pp. 565.  “This is a view of one of the greatest granite quarries in the world.  Six and seven carloads of rough stock shipped from this quarry every day in the year.  All Barre granite is good, but there is none better than ours, and our policy is to fill all orders promptly and satisfactorily.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont - the Wetmore & Morse Quarry (from The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, by T. Nelson Dale, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1923.)

  The Wetmore & Morse granite quarry was “1,007 feet above the city, lies in a saddle about south-southeast of the top of Millstone Hill and about 200 feet below it.” The operator was Wetmore & Morse Granite Co. of Montpelier, Vermont. The granite is a “light Barre” of a light, medium, slightly bluish-gray color with a fine to medium texture. There is also some “medium Barre” in the quarry.

  The Wetmore & Morse Quarry opened about 1875. When it was measured in 1907 it was about “610 feet in N. 60° E. direction by 100 to 20 feet across and in 1917 had reached a depth of 150 feet in some laces and 100 feet in others.”

  Granite from this company’s quarries was used in the following examples: The Admiral Schley monument in Arlington Cemetery, Washington; the Andrew J. Frame monument at Waukesha, Wisconsin; and the Everitt mausoleum at Bennington, Vermont.

• Barre, Vermont - the Wetmore and Morse Granite Company (Granite)  (Advertisement in The Monument and Cemetery Review, October 1926, pp. v)
  

  Wetmore and Morse Granite Company, Barre, Vermont, advertisement in The Monument and Cemetery Review, October 1926, pp. 21

  “A view of the quarry loading yard, where many of the large blocks are trimmed to dimension sizes” (photo from Wetmore and Morse Granite Company, Barre, Vermont, advertisement in The Monument and Cemetery Review, October 1926, pp. 21)

  “Wetmore and Morse granite was used by The Peerless Company in executing the Eric Edelmann memorial” (photo from Wetmore and Morse Granite Company, Barre, Vermont, advertisement in The Monument and Cemetery Review, October 1926, pp. 21)

• Barre, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse Granite Quarries (Advertisement from Wetmore & Morse Granite Company; Quarries, Barre, Vermont; Main Office, Montpelier, Vermont, The Monumental News, Vol. XLL, No. 8, August, 1929, pp. 371. Quarries at Barre, Vermont; Main Office, Montpelier, Vermont. Wetmore & Morse Granite Co. established in 1862.)

  Photo caption in advertisement:  “Executed in Wetmore & Morse stock by Anderson-Friberg Co., Barre, Vt., for John Merkle & Sons, Peoria, Illinois.” Wetmore & Morse Granite Quarries, Barre, Vermont

• Barre, Vermont – Wetmore & Morse Granite Quarries - Barre, Vermont

  (postcard photograph; 1940s; unmailed) Caption Reads: "Granite Center of the World"

• Barre, Vermont – the Wetmore and Morse Granite Company, Division of Rock of Ages Corp.  (Advertisement from The Monumental News-Review, March 1949, inside front cover)

Barre, Vermont – the Wetmore and Morse Granite Company, Division of Rock of Ages Corp.  (Advertisement from The Monumental News-Review, March 1949, inside front cover) from The Monumental News-Review, March 1949, inside front cover)

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wheaton Granite Quarry (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 146 & 150. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “P. O. Wheaton’s granite quarry, the first opened in Barre, produces a quality adapted to building purposes, of which Mr. Wheaton makes a specialty. His shops are located near Cobble hill. Mr. Wheaton employs in summer twenty men and in winter from six to eight.”

  “Oren Wheaton, son of Pliny and grandson of John, was born in Barre, January 1, 1812. He was a practical granite cutter, and with his father owned the quarry from which the granite was procured to build the State House at Montpelier. He was both farmer and quarryman. He united in marriage with Eliza, daughter of Daniel and Rebecca (Parker) Thompson, and sister of Hon. D. P. Thompson, lawyer, historian, and novelist. Mr. Wheaton died December 6, 1861. Their three children are all living. Pliny O. married Hattie Barnes, of Chelsea, and resides on the home farm. Daniel T. emigrated to Morris, Minn. ( Minneapolis), married, and settled there. Mary (Mrs. Malcolm Crockett) resides in Ohio. Mrs. Wheaton still survives and resides with her son Pliny O….” (The rest of the Wheaton genealogy can be read in the book in Google Book Search – Full View Books.)

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Whitcomb & Sons Granite Polishing Shops

  See: Barre, Washington County, Vermont – L. W. Whitcom & Sons Granite Polishing Shops (circa 1899)

• Barre, Vermont – Whitcomb Bros. / Swingle & Falconer (Manufacturer) (The following advertisement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 511.)

  Whitcomb Bros.,

  Manufacturers of Stone Working Machinery. Whitcomb’s Soft Metal Polishing Machines, Column Cutting Lathes, Polishing Lathes, Jenny Lind Polishing Machines, Traveling Cranes, Derricks, Capstans, Etc.

  (Letter at left margin of add:

  Quincy, Mass., July 12 ’95.

  Messrs Whitcomb Bros.,

  Gentlemen, we note your advertisement in Monumental News, when you have a prospective customer who wants a derrick just tell them to write to us, we have good things to say about our derreck (sic) bought from you.

  Respy, Swingle & Falconer.

  (Caption under pictures: Traveling Crane. Giant Polishing Machine.)

  • Barre, Vermont - Whitcomb Bros / Swingle & Falconer. The following letter to the magazine and announcement is from The Monumental News, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 517.

    “Messrs. Whitcomb Bros., Barre, Vt.

    Gentlemen: - We note your advertisement in the Monumental News. When you have a prospective customer who wants a derrick just tell them to write to us; we have good things to say about our derrick bought from you. Respectfully, Swingle & Falconer.

    “Swingle & Falconer, granite manufacturers, Quincy, Mass., take this opportunity of extending a cordial invitation to all of the granite and marble dealers who visit Quincy this month. We will keep open house during the stay of the excursionists and will have pleasure in having visitors inspect our works.”

  • Barre, Vermont – Whitcomb Bros., Manufacturers of Stone Working Machinery, Barre, Vermont (The Monumental News, Vol. 8, No. 1, January 1896, pp. 87)

(photo captions in advertisement)  Traveling Crane & Granite Polishing Machine, Whitcomb Bros., Manufacturers of Stone Working Machinery.  Whitcomb’s soft metal polishing machines, column cutting lathes, polishing lathes, jenny lind polishing machines, traveling cranes, Derricks, capstans, etc.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – White Brothers Granite Works (circa 1882)

  See: Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Vermont Granite Co. (circa 1899) (Granite)

• Barre, Vermont – the White Granite Company Quarries on Cobble Hill (circa 1906)  (from The Monumental News, Vol. XVIII, No. 2, February 1906, pp. 169)
  

  “January 20th the second base of a part of the Iowa State Monument to be erected at Vicksburg was brought down from the White Granite Company’s quarries on Cobble Hill.  As it contained 310 cubic feet of stock, weighed over 30 tons, and the road was a steep down-grade nearly all the way, great precautions had to be taken.  Six horses were hitched to the front of the sleigh and ten at the rear.  At the steepest part of the road, a stout winch was set up and the heavy load was carefully lowered by means of a stout cable, 1,300 feet running out before it was safe to let go.  The bottom base is nearly ready to be brought over the same route, and weighs several tons heavier.  Jones Bros. Company is cutting these stones.”

“Base of Iowa Vicksburg monument, Barre, Vermont, in the city square, on the way to Jones Bros. plant.  Photo courtesy of E. H. Prior.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont - the Wildbur Granite Quarry (from The Commercial Granites of New England, Bulletin 738, by T. Nelson Dale, Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1923.)

  The Wildbur Quarry was “on the west side of Cobble Hill, 600 feet above the city and N. 35° E. from the top of Millstone Hill, in Barre.” The granite is “light Barre, a light medium gray color with fine to medium texture. In 1907 the quarry was measured and was found to be “100 feet east and west by 75 feet across. It had a working face 80 feet high on the east.” In 1916 the quarry was idle.

  The granite from this quarry was used for monuments and buildings.

• Barre, Vermont – Wilkinson & Day (Stone Dealer) (The following advertisement is from The Reporter: Devoted To The Interests of Marble and Granite Workers, Vol. XVII, No. 6, published by Nichols & Co., Chicago, Illinois, June, 1884, pp. 12.)

  Wilkinson & Day, Barre, Vermont - Wholesale Dealers in Barre Granite.

  Makes a Specialty of Statuary and Fine Monumental Work in
  Dark Barre Granite. Exclusively Wholesale. samples
  and Estimates Furnished on Application.

  • Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Wilkinson & Day

    Also see: Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the E. A. Wilkinson Granite Works (circa 1899) (Granite) below.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the E. A. Wilkinson Granite Works (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 145. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “E. A. Wilkinson’s granite works are located on South Main street, where he manufactures a full line of monumental and cemetery work, for the wholesale and retail trade, and gives employment to from ten to fifteen men. Mr. Wilkinson was in business one year with G. W. Mann, previous to 1882. They were the first to use steam-power for polishing granite. In 1882 he formed a partnership in the business with S. B. Huse. At the end of six months he bought Mr. Huse’s interest and took as a partner William P. Day. The firm of Wilkinson & Day closed in July, 1886. Since then Mr. Wilkinson has continued alone.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – Charles Young Granite Works (circa 1899) (Granite) (Excerpt from Gazetteer of Washington County, Vermont, 1783-1889, Part First, compiled and published by Hamilton Child, Edited by William Adams, Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, April 1899, pp. 147. (This book is available on Google Book Search – Full View Books for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format.)

  “Charles Young’s granite works are located on South Main street. Mr. Young commenced business in the spring of 1883, with A. H. Gamble as his partner, where H. A. Duffy now has a shop. In the ensuing fall they moved to his present quarters. In the fall of 1887 Mr. Gamble retired from the firm and Mr. Young continues alone. He turns out all kinds of monumental and cemetery work, and employs from fifteen to twenty men.”

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Young Brothers Company  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XXI, No. 6, June 1909, pp. 499)
  

  Squared and Polished Dark Barre Granite
  All two sided slabs and dies are polished on the head grain which gives a much better polish and makes the edges work easier.

  Young Brothers, Manufacturers of Barre Granite Monuments and Cemetery Work, Barre, Vermont

Young Brothers Company Works in Barre, Vermont – Advertisement from The Monumental News, June 1909, pp. 499.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Young Brothers Company  (Advertisement from Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. 30, No. 10, October 1920, pp. 4)
  

  Young Brothers Company, Barre, Vt.

  “Our new Parker saw now in full operation:  Years ago we originated the Barre granite sawed and polished on the head grain.  This has become so popular that our old sawing facilities were unable to take care of the demand and we have just recently installed a big new Parker Rotary Saw.  This big installation is shown in the illustration above.  These two saws will give us large capacity so that we can still give you the high class Young Brothers Barre Granite Sawed and Polished on the Head Grain….”

Young Brothers Company, Barre, Vermont – Parker Rotary Saw advertisement from “Granite Marble & Bronze,” October 1920, pp. 4.

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Young Brothers Company  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1, January 1921, pp. 3)

  Young Brothers Co., Barre, Vermont
  Originators Sawed and Polished on the head grain “The Rock of Ages
  
  “The recent installation of an additional granite saw gives us a greatly increased output.  In fact we hope to be able to double our previous volume on sawed and polished work.  Every dealer who wants to deal in Young Bros.’ quality polished monuments can now get the goods.

  Our Representations:
  Eastern:  Peverly Bros., Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  Western:  After Jan. 1, 1921 Ashmore Bros., Zanesville, Ohio

Young Brothers Company, Barre, Vermont  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, January 1921, pp. 3. (photo captions in ad  “Cut by us for James Horne, Laverne, Minn.” & “Saw in operation at plant of Young Bros. Co., Barre, Vt. carrying 120 tons of granite on 3 cars.”)

• Barre, Washington County, Vermont – the Young Brothers Company  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XXXIII, No. 5, May 1921, pp. 367)

Young Brothers Company  (Advertisement from The Monumental News, Vol. XXXIII, No. 5, May 1921, pp. 367)

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