Exhibit of the Granite Industry

Exhibit of the Granite Industry. In Eastern Hancock County. , The Granite Industry of Franklin and Sullivan , Quarrying granite in eastern Hancock County was centered in the towns of Franklin and Sullivan. The quality of granite found around Tranton and Hog Bay was high. The Bays provided an easy way to move the stone and easy access to markets along the Atlantic seaboard. Local granite could also be found in projects as diverse as St. Andrews, New Brunswick Court House, the Philadelphia Navy Yard, curbstones in Boston and New York, and paving stones in Washington D.C., The artifacts, stone samples, vehicle and building you see are the originals. They are particular to the granite industry in Maine and were purpose-built., Granite was first quarried in Sullivan in 1830 and in Franklin in 1875. By the last decades of the 19th century the industry was a major economic force in the area. From 1910 onward a decline became evident., The Work of Quarrying and Cutting Granite , The preparation of granite for commercial use is hard, labor-intensive work. Quarrymen who removed the rough blocks of granite from the quarry were unskilled labor. They received the lowest pay and thought to be easily replaceable., Granite cutters were charged with finishing the rough stone into a marketable product. The cutters were ranked by the complexity of the procedure required to produce finished stone. Paving cutters were the bottom of the cutters pay scale. They were paid $30.00 per 1,000 stones finished. Pay increased for those who cut curbing , monument bases, and construction granite., The workers became union men and their wages equaled those found in other quarrying centers. A curbstone cutter would average $2.25 to $2.70 a day, while a quarryman got only $1.50 to $1.75 per day. Teamsters were paid by how much they moved. The sum of $3.50 to $4.00 per 1,000 paving stones hauled was average pay., Franklin and Sullivan quarries used teamsters driving galamanders (granite lifters) to move rough granite. Finished stones were moved to wharves for loading onto sailing vessels., Blacksmithing was a vital trade. Every quarry would have its own shop. The steel tools used in quarrying and cutting were in constant need of sharpening or repair., Workers came from Franklin, Sullivan and the surrounding towns. During the week they would live in boarding houses close to the quarry. The work was hard and the hours long. The industry was important to the economy of the area., Shipping Granite to Market , Granite products from Franklin and Sullivan were transport for the most part by ship. Schooners were the ship of choice for moving granite. The need for such ships gave rise to another local industry. Many of the granite schooners were constructed in the same towns as the quarries were located. Shipyard Point in Franklin is one such site where a number of these ships was built., Granite was a dangerous cargo for sailing ships. Proper loading was a valuable skill because an error could be fatal. If the load shifted in a storm the ship was doomed. This is what happened to Franklin-built schooner John Paul. Carrying a load of granite, it ran into a heavy storm in the Nantucket Ship Channel. The load shifted and the John Paul sank on January 13, 1914., Franklin became the first town in Hancock county to ship granite by rail. In May 1900, granite from the Highland Quarry was loaded at Eastbrook siding and shipped. Most quarries, however, continued to ship by sea. While the railroad was important, it was not easily reached by the larger quarries around Taunton and Hog Bays., The workers became union men and their wages equaled those found in other quarrying centers. A curbstone cutter would average $2.25 to $2.70 a day, while a quarryman got only $1.50 to $1.75 per day. Teamsters were paid by how much they moved. The sum of $3.50 to $4.00 per 1,000 paving stones hauled was average pay., Blacksmithing was a vital trade. Every quarry would have its own shop. The steel tools used in quarrying and cutting were in constant need of sharpening or repair., Workers came from Franklin, Sullivan and the surrounding towns. During the week they would live in boarding houses close to the quarry. The work was hard and the hours long. The industry was important to the economy of the area.