We're staying in Northfield, a small town in Vermont. It's close to Montpelier, the state capital.
We visited the nearby town of Barre. Barre is the self-proclaimed "Granite Center of the World". What a wonderful opportunity for a factory tour! We took a self-guided tour of the Rock of Ages:
Although known especially for making memorials and stone art, in the late 1950's Rock of Ages experimented with making granite bowling lanes for use in commercial bowling alleys. Only a few were made, as the concept never caught on. We did see a prototype:
Included with our tour was a Quarry Tour. We went to an overlook of the Smith Granite Quarry. At about 600 feet deep, it is the largest operating, deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world.
A dimension granite quarry is where the granite is quarried for the purpose of obtaining blocks or slabs that meet specifications as to size and shape.
The granite at this Smith Granite Quarry is different from most granite in that it is composed of the minerals feldspar, mica and quartz. It is called "Barre Gray" granite and is sought after worldwide for its fine grain, even texture, and superior weather resistance.
Many sculpture artists prefer it for outdoor sculpture. We found examples of this in the town of Barre:
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| Largest Zipper in North America |
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| Hope Cemetery |
Our Leaf Peeping journey continues as we head for New Hampshire next.
