The Granite Art Garden - The Granite Art Garden is A Center for Art , History , and Sustainability located at a historic quarry in Sullivan . The Garden ’ s mission is to preserve the historic art of quarrying through demonstrations and museum exhibits focusing on the unique geology that gave rise to the booming granite quarrying industry of the 19th century . The Garden is owned and operated by Obadiah , who grew up on the quarry and was inspired to work with stone at a young age . Photo source : MaineMade . com .
Granite was transported down the coast in special ships called stone sloops to build many of America ’ s landmark buildings . Rockefeller Center , Chicago ’ s Board of Trade , the Pennsylvania Railroad Station , the Boston Museum of Fine Art , and the New York Stock Exchange were built from Downeast granite . Streets in New York , New Orleans and Philadelphia were paved with custom-sized granite stones .
Downeast Maine ’ s granite industry declined in the twentieth century as builders began using concrete and steel , and trains replaced ships as the primary form of transportation . The only commercial quarry remaining in Maine is Crotch Island Quarry off Deer Isle . At the turn of the century , Crotch was one of 33 major island quarries along the Maine coast and provided work for an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people . The Crotch Island Quarry survived because of the unique granite extracted from it .
Abandoned quarries still dot the coast of Downeast Maine . A few are open to the public for swimming , hiking , enjoyment , and learning . Two granite museums tell the history of the industry . A growing number of artists , sculptors , and builders carry on the tradition of working with granite , often utilizing traditional tools and techniques . Some even reside in former industrial quarries … during the back to the land movement of the 1970 ’ s many decommissioned quarries were turned into residential sites . In several cases the children who were raised in those quarry landscapes serve as leaders in the arts and continue to reside on and work with the granite landscape .
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