COME TO BARRE FOR A GREAT TIME THIS WEEK!

Despite the quality and abundance of Barre granite, the industry remained very localized prior to the Civil War for two important reasons: granite is hard so it is difficult to cut, granite is heavy (166.7 pounds per cubic foot) so it is difficult to transport.  As long as our forebears were dependent on hand tools and animal power, the markets they could serve were limited. In 1875 rail came to Barre and during the same period steam-driven drills and other cutting and finishing equipment were being developed. The last quarter of the 19th century witnessed a boom in the Barre granite industry, and thousands of plucky immigrants came from all over the globe to make better lives for themselves and their families by working in Barre’s granite quarries and factories (sheds). As a result, Barre became one of the more cosmopolitan areas of Vermont, enjoying a rich cultural heritage still celebrated today.

This week is Barre’s annual Heritage Festival. If you are in Vermont this week, I invite you to come to Barre for a great time. It all kicks off on Wednesday with the farmers’ market, the Paletteers Art Show, a horseshoe tournament at Gusto’s and a concert in Currier Park at 7:00 p.m.

On Thursday the Paletteers Art Show is open once more and the evening culminates with an exciting race at the Thunder Road Speedway just down the road from Rock of Ages.

There are more fun-filled activities happening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday than I have space to list here, so please visit:

WWW.BARREHERITAGEFESTIVAL.COM
for a complete listing of the events, their times and locations.

In honor of our 125th anniversary, Rock of Ages will be entering a float in the Heritage Day parade, Saturday, July 24th.  The parade begins at 11:00 a.m., but be certain to get to Barre early to pick out a great spot.  The theme of the parade is “Then and Now”, and I’m excited about our float entry. Tim Rath of Green Mountain Explosives, who is an avid historic mining equipment collector, has generously agreed to lend us an 1890’s quarry tripod steam drill for our float.  So I am hoping for great weather, because this drill is so rare that we would not put it on the float if it were raining.

I am especially excited to have the drill on the float because I have pictures of my grandfather Paton and his brothers operating tripod drills in their youth when my great-grandparents owned and operated a quarry and manufacturing shed, the Henry F. Paton Company. So this drill reminds me not only of Barre’s great granite heritage, but also of my family’s granite heritage as well. 

There’ll be great ethnic foods to sample, the Rock of ages’ guess the weight of the granite block contest, the truck pull (tow-down), wagon rides, dancers, musicians, race cars on display and lot, lots more.  And of course we’ll be offering quarry tours, factory tours and our sandblast activity as well right here at the Visitors Center. So pack up the family and come for a great time in Barre this week.

~Todd