The granite quarries of Stonington, Maine, on the southern tip of Deer Isle, represent one of the state’s most significant industrial legacies, transforming a small fishing village into a booming center of stone production from the late 19th century through the early 20th century. Commercial quarrying began in the 1870s, with early operations on Crotch Island led by figures like Job L. Goss in 1869 and the Merrill brothers in 1872, who extracted paving stones and cellar blocks for markets in Boston and beyond.
The area’s distinctive pinkish-gray granite—known for varieties like “Sherwood pink” and “Goss pink”—proved exceptionally durable and aesthetically appealing, featuring coarse-grained textures with quartz, feldspar, and biotite that polished to a high sheen. By the 1880s and 1890s, demand surged for monumental architecture, leading to rapid expansion across multiple sites, including Crotch Island, Settlement Quarry on the mainland, and smaller islands like Green and Moose.
At its peak around 1900-1910, the Stonington granite industry employed thousands, drawing skilled immigrants from Italy, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Scotland who brought expertise in stonecutting. These workers often lived in boarding houses on the islands or in Stonington (then called Green’s Landing until it incorporated as Stonington in 1897, named explicitly for its quarries). Crotch Island became the epicenter, with multiple quarries (such as Merrill, Ryan-Parker, and Goss) operating simultaneously; at one point, over 200-250 workers resided there, supported by stores, schools, and bunkhouses. Operations involved hazardous hand-drilling, black powder blasting, steam-powered derricks, and narrow-gauge railroads to move massive blocks to deep-water wharves for loading onto schooners.
The Settlement Quarry, opened around 1900 on Deer Isle near Oceanville, was another major site, featuring vast pits up to 600 feet long and employing hundreds with coal-fired boilers, compressors, and cranes. Glacial plucking had created steep southern faces ideal for deep-water access, facilitating direct shipping. Workers faced dangerous conditions—explosions, cave-ins, and silicosis from dust—yet formed unions as early as 1877 to advocate for better wages and safety. The industry’s output supplied iconic structures, from New York bridges and museums to federal buildings and memorials, underscoring Maine’s dominance in granite production (leading the U.S. in value by 1901).
Decline began after World War I, accelerated by the rise of reinforced concrete and steel in construction during the 1920s and 1930s. Most quarries closed by the 1930s, with Crotch Island operations continuing sporadically until the Deer Island Granite Corporation ceased in 1966. The Great Depression and competition from cheaper materials sealed the fate of this labor-intensive trade, shifting Stonington’s economy toward lobster fishing, which remains dominant today.
Revival came modestly in 1979 when New England Stone Industries (later Granites of America) reopened the Crotch Island quarry, now the last active major granite operation on a Maine island. Small-scale extraction continues for veneers, countertops, restoration projects, and high-profile builds like expansions of the New York Historical Society. Former sites like Settlement Quarry, preserved by Island Heritage Trust since the late 20th century, offer trails with interpretive signs on geology and history, panoramic views, and remnants of industrial infrastructure.
Preservation efforts highlight this heritage: the Deer Isle Granite Museum, founded in 1996 by Frank and Deni Weil, features models, artifacts, and stories of quarrymen, while the Deer Isle-Stonington Historical Society and Maine Granite Industry Museum collect records and samples. These quarries not only shaped the landscape—leaving dramatic pits and grout piles—but also the cultural fabric of the community, blending immigrant traditions with Maine’s rugged coastal identity. Today, the enduring stone in landmarks worldwide stands as a testament to Stonington’s “stone era.”