Granite National Historic District

Granite National Historic District. . Some of the finest granite on the North American continent was quarried in this area for over a century. The village of Granite was first named Waltersville after the Walters/Blunt family who founded the local quarrying industry, circa 1820. The two largest quarries were Waltersville and Fox Rock. These and smaller quarries counted hundreds of stonecutters among their employees. One of the most important uses was for America’s first railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio. This construction included the famous Thomas Viaduct, a vital link between Baltimore and Washington. The quality of this stone led to its use in such buildings as the Library of Congress, inner walls of the Washington Monument, Old patent Office and the Baltimore Custom House. Local granite was the choice for foundations, gateposts, garden walls, cemetery monuments, churches and schools. Many homes, still seen nearby, housed the hardy workmen and their families forming a community proudly named for its most famous natural resource, granite. Granite was placed on the National register of Historic Places in 1994. Erected by the Granite Historical Society-1996 . This historical marker was erected in 1996 by Granite Historical Society. It is in Granite in Baltimore County Maryland