In Quincy, within the Blue Hills Reservation, is the historic Quincy Quarries, which provided structural grey granite to Boston, other parts of the U.S. and even world wide.
The quarries are located off I-93 (Southeast Expressway). Getting there is a bit convoluted - from I-93 north heading toward Boston, take the exit for the Furnace Brook Parkway; then go along a rotary and without crossing under the highway, take the next road and drive north parallel to the highway, bearing right at a fork (if you go left, you will go back onto the highway). At the end of the road, turn left onto Willard Street. You will cross the highway here, and then drive parallel to it for a short distance, then turn sharp right onto Ricciuti Drive. Follow this road uphill. You will see signs and banners for the golf course, but not to the quarries. After about a tenth mile then park in the first parking lot that you see. There are signs forbidding you from parking on the street. From the parking lot, large enough for at least 20 cars, From there, walk a short distance via a well used path to an open grassy area with protrusions of stone. You are now within one of the quarries.
From this vantage point, you see the highest points of the old quarries. The ground is actually fill from the construction of new tunnels in Boston (known as the "Big Dig"), with cap soil. From here, you can walk around. There is evidence all around of quarry activity. At one location are the remnants of a derrick. Another has evidence that a bridge was there. Others bear scars of drilling. There are a couple small ponds - one had tadpoles in them.
Beyond these ledges, down a path, is an incline and a pair of granite obelisks off Mullin Avenue at the north end of the park. There are other odd pieces on the ground that indicate past human activity.
There is more if you get back in your car and drive up Riccuti Drive to the end, then bear right, the drive downhill to building remains on the left. This is the old Lyons Turning Mill, where tall columns of granite were made.
The area has a long and complex history - a summary is presented here.
The quarries were established by Simon Willard in 1825 when he decided that this was the place to get the stone for the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown (now a part of Boston). In 1826, Gridley Bryant designed and built the Granite Railway, which many consider one of the first railroads in America, and is a Civil Engineering Historical Landmark.
The granite from these quarries were used in other buildings in Boston and eventually to other parts of the United States and even the world.
What is collectively called Quincy Quarries is actually a collection of quarries that were originally independently owned. One of the earliest quarries was known as the Fuller Quarry. The last quarry to operate was Swingles Quarry, which lasted until 1963.
The Lyons Turning Mill was built in 1894 and was where granite was turned into columns. The mill was one of the largest of its kind. The length of the building was 200 ft long and 46 ft wide. The mill stands beside the remains of the Lyons Granite Quarry, and is downhill from the clubhouse for the golf course.
After the quarries were abandoned in 1963, they became a location for people to gather and swim - sometimes with tragic results. Finally, in 1998, the quarries were filled in using materials from digging tunnels in Boston, locally referred to as the "Big Dig." Since then, grass has grown in and trees are growing. Today, the land is part of the Blue Hills Reservation (though often this area is known as the Quincy Quarries Reservation). The ledges are now a popular place to train for climbing.
Sources:
WGBH (Quarries Tragedy Waiting to Happen):
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visit link)
Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum:
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visit link)
Wikipedia (Quincy Quarries):
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visit link)
Thomas Crane Library
(Granite Railway):
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visit link)
(Quincy History Newsletter):
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visit link)