Rock of Ages Quarry
When in or around Barre, listen for the deep, throaty hum of industry. That's the Rock of Ages Quarry, still operating high on a hill above town in the aptly named hamlet of Graniteville. A visitor center presents informative exhibits, a video about quarrying, a glimpse of an old granite quarry (no longer active), and a selection of granite gifts. Self-guided tours of the old quarry are free. For a look at the active quarry (the world's largest), sign up for a guided half-hour tour on a shuttle; an old bus groans up to a viewer's platform high above the 500-foot, man-made canyon, where workers cleave huge slabs of fine-grained granite and hoist them out using 150-foot derricks anchored with miles (yes, miles) of spider-web-like steel cable. It's an operation to behold. There's also an exhibit that lets you try your hand at blasting and cutting stone by hand yourself, with the following instructions: "Grab the gun, squeeze the trigger, and feel the pulsating throb of up to 110 PSI of abrasive and air leap from the nozzle as you learn to cut in stone." And what red-blooded American male could resist an offer like that?
When in or around Barre, listen for the deep, throaty hum of industry. That's the Rock of Ages Quarry, still operating high on a hill above town in the aptly named hamlet of Graniteville. A visitor center presents informative exhibits, a video about quarrying, a glimpse of an old granite quarry (no longer active), and a selection of granite gifts. Self-guided tours of the old quarry are free. For a look at the active quarry (the world's largest), sign up for a guided half-hour tour on a shuttle; an old bus groans up to a viewer's platform high above the 500-foot, man-made canyon, where workers cleave huge slabs of fine-grained granite and hoist them out using 150-foot derricks anchored with miles (yes, miles) of spider-web-like steel cable. It's an operation to behold. There's also an exhibit that lets you try your hand at blasting and cutting stone by hand yourself, with the following instructions: "Grab the gun, squeeze the trigger, and feel the pulsating throb of up to 110 PSI of abrasive and air leap from the nozzle as you learn to cut in stone." And what red-blooded American male could resist an offer like that?
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