Quarry History

Somes Sound, the only natural fjord on the eastern seaboard, is famed for its natural beauty, deep waters, and protected anchorages as well as its proximity to Acadia National Park.  The village of Hall Quarry was once a bustling town providing granite blocks to far away places.  The depth of the Sound comfortably supported the large three-masted schooners that transported the quarried stone. 

Granite quarrying began as early as 1870 on Mount Desert Island at Hall's Quarry. It required the brute strength of both man and ox. Teamsters with their oxen or horses were paid $1.50 a day, quarrymen consisting mostly of Italian, Swedish, Finnish and Scottish men were paid $2.00 for a 10 hour work day. Four major companies operated at Hall's Quarry from 1870 to 1965, the first being the Standard Granite Company, followed by McMullen Granite Co., Booth Brothers and Hurricane Island Granite Company and Grenci and Ellis Granite Co. All shipped stone for major building contracts all over the United States.

Many famous structures were built from stone quarried right here, including the United States Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the basement of the New York Customhouse; the Brooklyn anchorage to the Manhattan Bridge; and the bridge over the Potomac at Washington.