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Hall Quarry

Page by Megan Wyborney and Elaine Kearney

Hall Quarry is a hidden and peaceful location with a long history attached to it. Near Somes Sound, Hall Quarry was the location of foundation of an entire mining-based town called Quarryville, ME. The Somesville granite and geological aspects are of great significance not only to this location, but to the history of Maine and Mount Desert Island as a whole.

Hartford, Greg A., Edited by Megan M. Wyborney. Map of Mt. Desert Island. Digital image. Acadia Magic. N.p., n.d. Web.Mt. Desert Island in Maine. Our field site is at the intersection of the fracture orientation lines.

Wyborney, M. 31 October 2016. Photograph. Mount Desert Island, Maine. This image shows modern-day Hall Quarry. The rock type here is the Somesville granite. 

Wyborney, M. 31 October 2016. Photograph. Mount Desert Island, Maine. This image shows modern-day Hall Quarry. The rock type here is the Somesville granite. 

The fracture sets we see around Hall Quarry (more detailed geologic information can be found at the bottom of the page, for those interested) are evidence of the tectonic forces that originally shaped Mt. Desert Island. The presence of granite is proof that there was also a volcano on the island, because granite is igneous and only forms in or around magma chambers.  Hall Quarry has been dug out of the side of U-shaped valley. U-shaped valleys are evidence of glacial activity, and the fact that one of the fracture set runs in a north-south direction as to many of the valleys in the island means that the flow of the glacier was influenced by the existing fracture set (see map). 
The granite here is called the Somesville granite. It is an igneous rock, formed in an ancient volcanic eruption. It is coarse-grained and has no phenocrysts, or irregularities. This makes it very aesthetically pleasing. It was also easier for the miners to work with as compared to other types of granite in the area, such as the Cadillac Mountain granite. This is due to the fact that the Somesville granite at this location has biotite within it, as opposed to hornblende (which is very common in other types of granite in the area). This makes it softer than the other types, and consequently, it is easier to break. However, it is important to note that there are actually two types of Somesville granite: the coarse-grained one that was frequently quarried, and a younger, fine-grained version. However, this fine-grained version is not considered as visually appealing as the other, so it was ignored or discarded, and it was not what was quarried at Hall Quarry.

(Left) Wyborney, M. 31 October 2016. Photograph. Mount Desert Island, Maine. This image shows a closeup on the Somesville granite. The large grains and beautiful pink hue are clearly visible. 

(Right) Wyborney, M. 31 October 2016. Photograph.  Mount Desert Island, Maine. This image shows the Somesville granite with iron wedges from the quarry days still remaining in it. 

Cyrus Hall began quarrying granite at this location in 1883. As the economic potential of the area was discovered,  more and more development occurred, this town was called Quarryville, and became the major quarry town on the coast of Maine. In 1902, Maine ranked first in granite produced in the United States. This was definitely accelerated by Hall Quarry.The quarrying process at this location in the 1800’s was very intense and rigorous. Rectangular blocks of granite had to be removed from solid rock. Holes were pounded into the granite, and then iron wedges were forced inside these holes. Then, each would be hit with various strong devices. After this, workers waited and waited; the longer the wait, the straighter the block would be, to the point where the granite could even split in a straight line. After the wedges were carefully removed, the unattached chunks of stone were placed on large carts called “gallamanders” and carried away. Eventually, granite from this location was shipped all around the world and used in the building processes of many structures. This includes the Library of Congress (Washington, DC), the First National Bank(Omaha, NE), the Belfast Free Library (Belfast, ME), the Phoenix building (Hartford, CT), and various buildings on Ellis Island (New York).

Video by Alba Mar Rodriguez Padilla, recorded in October 2015. This video, which has been sped up, shows students from College of the Atlantic learning at Hall Quarry. Here is a demonstration of quarrying techniques similar to those used in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. This is also an example of the Maine Granite Industry Historical Society’s efforts on education and preservation of history. 

Laitin, Martha. 2016. Photograph. Belfast, Maine. This image shows the Belfast Free Library, which is made of the Somesville granite. 

These buildings ensure that the legacy of Hall Quarry still lives on, even though there is no quarrying at the location today. Not only are there the buildings, but there is also the Maine Granite Industry Historical Society. This organization possesses artifacts from the 1800’s and 1900’s quarrying in Maine, and they are dedicated to the preservation of the history of the area and the spread of historical education to people of all ages.

“Indeed, one of its villages was founded and existed to supply the nation with its distinctive pink stone used in monumental, building and paving. That community, now called Hall Quarry, reflects not only the growth of that industry but characterizes the historical trends of that time. From immigration to labor disputes, from tycoons to industrial innovation, Hall Quarry was a microcosm of national trends. Yet, at the same time, Hall Quarry was, indeed, a small town on the coast of Maine, with all the quirks and character that such towns engender.” 

Fracture Orientations from Hall Quarry

Orientations of the Quarry Sides

References: 

Hartford, Greg A., Edited by Megan M. Wyborney. Map of Mt. Desert Island. Digital image. Acadia Magic. N.p., n.d. Web.

Laitin. Martha. "Belfast Maine Library". Belfast Area Homes. Updated 2016. Web. http://www.belfastareahomes.com/2016/10/17/belfast-free-library/

“Mount Desert Island Quarries”. Maine Granite Industry Historical Society.    MaineGraniteIndustry.org. Updated 2016. Accessed 30 October 2016. Web.

“Maine Granite Industry - Hall Quarry”. Mount Desert Island: Shaped by Nature. Maine Historical Society and Maine Memory Network. MaineMemory.net. Accessed 30 October 2016. Web.

Gilman, Richard et al. “The Geology of Mount Desert Island: A Visitor’s Guide to the Geology of Acadia National Park”. Maine Geological Survey and the Maine Department of Conservation. 1988. Print.

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