THE
Fall 2014
GRANITE CHIPS
Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum, P.O. Box 690724, Quincy, MA 02269
quincyquarrymuseum@verizon.net 617-472-1322
Capping Phase Complete At Lyons
Turning Mill
The final phase of capping the walls at the
Lyons Turning Mill is now complete. The south
wall which separated the boiler and engine
room from the manufacturing portion of the
mill was capped by Northern Construction of
Weymouth. Northern construction had
previously capped the west wall and
continued using the same design and
construction specifications on the south wall.
The capping, which included epoxy coated
rebar and a high-strength cement mixture was
also used on the entire wall structure of the mill,
has added structural stability to the mill walls.
The structural engineering firm of Structures
North Consulting Engineers Incorporated
developed plans and construction
specifications for the entire project under the
leadership of John Wathne, president of the
firm. The turning mill project consisted of two
phases, first phase was the east wall capping
that was completed by Folan Waterproofing
and Construction Company, the second
phase, which included the west wall and the
south wall was completed by Northern
Construction. Both construction companies did
an outstanding job on all aspects of the
stabilization of the historic structure from
construction to clean up of the area. The
stabilization of the mill was undertaken by the
Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum
and will now ensure that this historic structure
will stand for many more years. The entire
project was supported and financed through
the community preservation funding of the City
of Quincy. The museum would like to thank
Cole Barry chairman of the committee and all
the members of the preservation committee
for their support of this project. Also thanks to
Lisa Aimola, Director, Quincy Community
Preservation for her administrative support in
guiding the museum to the completion of the
project.
End of south wall with capping and additional
granite in place
Donation of Granite Industry Tools
A collection of granite tools that were used in
the quarrying and stone cutting operations
have been donated by John Bagen of Quincy.
The tools. collected over the years by John,
included plug drills for the splitting of granite,
hammer points, mallet and splitters for stone
cutting and lettering of granite. The total
collection, which numbered about 25 tools,
represents a great example of the tools used in
the granite industry at the turn-of-the-century.
The museum welcomes donations of granite
related artifacts many of which are being lost
with the passing of time. The museum is
dedicated to the preservation of the granite
industry for future generations.
Quincy Cleaner Greener Project
The Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers
Museum took part in Quincy's Cleaner,
Greener Day on Saturday, May 3. For the
passed 25 years groups of residents have
undertaken cleanup and beautification
projects throughout the city. Volunteers clean
up local beaches, parks, open spaces, school
grounds and historic sites. The museum
members chose the Inclined Plane Railway on
Mullen Ave., West Quincy as their project.
Members of the group cleaned up and
mulched around the monument and the
obelisks. The day ended with a cookout at
noon at Pageant Field with hamburgers, hot
dogs and beverages served to all the
volunteers who participated in the many
projects around the city.
Lyons Turning Mill Story Timeline
John Bagen holding granite industry tools
The story of the history of the Lyons Turning Mill
is now posted on the museum web site. Tom
Bonomi has compiled his research of the mill’s
story into an interesting and informative time
line of events through out the mill’s operation
from1893 through 1917. The article includes
photos and maps related to the mill story. The
story can be viewed and down loaded at the
museum's web site:
www.quincyquarrymuseum.org under the
section titled Granite Industry Articles and
Maps.
Quincy Quarry Railroad
Company Story
The museum has posted on our web site the
story of the Quincy Quarry Railroad Company.
Photos of the railway and maps of the location
of lines which serviced the west district quarry
area and the connection with the Granite
Branch of the New York New Haven and
Hartford railroad at the West Quincy Depot are
shown. Museum member Tom Bonomi has
researched the railway and has uncovered
many interesting facts. Visit our web site at
www.quincyquarrymuseum .org
Welcome New Members
James Treacy Jr.
Pauline Nugent
New Addition to Virtual Museum
Window Display At
Granite Trust Building
The Quincy Quarry and Granite workers
Museum has acquired the window display
area at the historic Granite Trust Building, 1400
Hancock St., Quincy Center. The museum
contacted the real estate and property
management firm C. B. Richard Ellis, who
manage the Granite Trust Building for
permission to develop a display of the history
of Quincy's granite industry to be placed in the
windows. The granite trust building has a
connection to Quincy's granite history by way
of Theophilus King the banker and businessman
in the late 1800s and early 1900s who built the
granite trust building in 1929, along with his son
Delcevare. Theophilus King also was a quarry
owner of many quarries under the name of the
Quincy Quarries Company with other investors
from Maine and New York. The front façade of
the Granite Trust Building is of dark Quincy
granite which came from the Hitchcock quarry
on Quarry Street that was one of the quarries
owned by King and his associates. This is a
great opportunity for the museum to again
have a presence in Quincy Center. The plan is
to expand the display and include not only
photos of the granite industry but many of the
artifacts that have been so generously
donated by members of the museum.
East window photo display
The museum has added several new items to
the virtual museum on our web site along with
a brief interpretive on each. Added was the
tools and tool box of Anselmo "Jimmy"
Tempesta the owner of Colonial Granite
Company from 1928 to 1971. Also added were
a stone cutter’s lettering square, pneumatic
four tooth surfacing chisel, stone carvers steel
dividers, a four and a twelve plate pneumatic
Bush chisel and a pneumatic quarry drill.
Tools of Anselmo "Jimmy" Tempesta
The museum has received a donation of tools
that belonged to Anselmo "Jimmy" Tempesta,
a stone carver who was the owner of the
Colonial Granite Co. located on Intervale St.,
South Quincy from 1928 to 1971 when he
retired and sold the business to the present
owner, James Canniff of the James Canniff
Monument Co. After the purchase of the stone
shed, Mr. Canniff let Jimmy continue working in
an area of the shed doing stone carving and
stonework on special projects for Canniff
Monument Co. and his old customers. After
Jimmy's death in1986, Jim Canniff stored all of
Jimmy's tools in boxes over the sandblasting
booth and there they sat until now. The tools
consisted of hand and pneumatic chisels,
dividers, squares, feather and wedges, straight
edgers, hammers and lay out instruments for
stone work. Another artifact donated by Jim
Canniff was the wooden tool carrier of Jimmy's
in which he would keep his tools as he went
about his work. The museum thanks Jim Canniff
for this donation to help save the history of the
granite industry.
Quincy Center Granite Walk
The Quincy Quarry and Granite workers
Museum conducted a "Where's Quincy Granite
in Quincy Center". The walk was sponsored by
the Quincy Environmental Treasures Program of
the city of Quincy's Park and Recreation
department, which are organized by Sally
Owen. The walk “Where's Quincy Granite”
began at the Quincy Historical Society's
parking lot on Sunday, May 4 at 2 PM. Museum
member Tom Bonomi researched and
presented the interpretive information to the
group of 25 as the tour proceeded through
Quincy's Center. The tour began on the
grounds of the Historical Society where a
portion of the granite crossing rails and posts of
the Granite Railway that were located at East
Milton where the railroad crossed the old
Plymouth to Boston road in 1826. Also located
on the grounds is the Badger Brothers granite
sign, the Hancock monuments and two World
War I statues and granite bases located on the
grounds. The group then proceeded along
Hancock Street south and touched upon the
location of the J.S. Swingle homestead on
Hancock Street and the polished granite
columns that came from his quarry that were
part of his estate which are now at the
entrance to the Citizens Bank on Quincy
Avenue. The tour continued down Hancock
Street to the granite ball, old City Hall and the
First Parish Church all constructed of Quincy
granite. Continuing on to the Quincy Savings
Building, Granite Trust Building and the
Greenleaf building and its polished granite
columns. The walk ended with two sculptures,
the Robert Burns statue by John Horgan and
the freedom Park sculpture by Edward Monty
that was sculptured using his flame torch
method. The group learned some fascinating
facts about quarrying and the production of
granite products that were used in many of our
historical buildings in Quincy.
Open House at Lyons Turning Mill
The Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers
Museum opened up the historic Lyons Turning
Mill for the public to view the capping
stabilization completed project. After being
rained out on Tuesday, June 10th the weather
conditions cooperated on the scheduled rain
date of Thursday, June 12th. from: 6 to 8 PM.
Museum members were present to give brief
tours of the mill and surrounding quarry area
pointing out interesting points of interest, which
included columns in various stages, column
bases that are scattered throughout the mill
site and miscellaneous artifacts. On display
were historic photos of the mill which included
the interior showing stonecutters, granite
turning lathes, finished columns stacked
waiting for shipment and several photos of the
exterior including the adjacent Gold Leaf
quarry that later became Lyons quarry. The
stabilization work was funded by Quincy's
Community Preservation Committee and
authorized by Mayor Koch and the city
council. The capping operation is now
complete, phase 1 was completed by Folan
Waterproofing and Construction Company
and second phase was completed by
Northern Construction, Incorporated. Both
contractors did an outstanding job on the
capping operation. The museum plans to seek
additional funding to continue the next phase,
which will further stabilize the middle by repointing the granite walls.
Mass Archeology Month 2014
The quarry museum will open the historic Lyons
Turning Mill on Quarry Hills Drive on Saturday,
October 4th from 10 to 3 for tours. Information
tables with historic photos of the mill when in
operation will be on display. Rain date:
October 11th. Visit our web site for more
information or call 617-472-1322.
Museum member Tom Bonomi on left
explaining to visitors the mill operation.