Stone quarrying operations were labor-intensive, involving very hard, gritty work. But they had pneumatic (air powered) tools in this image from 1908, which allowed for faster drilling.
Engraving of a steam-powered derrick used to lift large blocks of stone (date & location unknown).
Stock certificate for the Lovejoy Granite Company, which started quarrying on Treasury Hill in the 1880s.
Derrick hoisting a large column that has been hand-roughed.
In 1908, the Lovejoy Granite Company won a contract to supply 30 columns for the Treasury Building in Washington, DC. Each column was a 31' monolith weighing 55 tons.
The largest derrick in New Hampshire was used to lift the column blocks and set them on flatbed rail cars for transportation.
The raw blocks were taken to a finishing yard in Boston, where they were sculpted into beautiful tapered, fluted columns. After dressing, the finished columns weighed only 30 tons.
This photograph from 1908 shows the first of the Lovejoy columns being installed on the East Front of the Treasury Building.
This postcard from August 1908 shows the intended location of the 30 columns cut from New Hampshire granite.
The Milford Historical Society has this photograph showing our quarry just before it was abandoned. There are two men standing in the deep spot at the lower left, and today's water level is above the top of the crane.
During the decades when the quarry was abandoned, it became a hangout for people who had little regard for the natural beauty of the site. It took several years of hard work to clean up the detritus of misspent youth.
