Telling a story in pictures is Cape Ann Granite, the newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series. The book by local author Paul St. Germain is set to release on July 20, 2015. The book boasts over 200 vintage images, many of which have never been published, and showcases memories of days gone by.
The granite industry began on Cape Ann with the first sale of a piece of Rockport granite, for use as a millstone, to a farmer in Newburyport in 1800. The industry would grow to include more than 60 quarries and operations around the cape, becoming the second-largest economic force in the area behind fishing. Hundreds were employed as quarrymen, stonecutters, paving cutters, and finishers. Cape Ann was particularly well fitted for the pursuit of granite as its rocky hills and shores afforded a comparatively inexhaustible source of supply, and its splendid shipping facilities gave the advantage of quick and economical transportation to market by sea and land. The industry eventually declined, and by 1930, most quarries had gone out of business because of labor strikes and low demand. Today, most of these quarries are filled with rainwater and springwater, and many are used as reservoirs for the surrounding communities.
The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.
Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit http://www.arcadiapublishing.com
Paul St. Germain, has been a resident of Rockport, Massachusetts for the past 20 years. His interest in Cape Ann area began in 1999 when he was asked to join the Thacher Island Association’s Board of Directors. In 2002 he was elected President of the Association and has worked to develop a variety of ways to fund the restoration efforts on the island
Good Morning Gloucester 
Weren’t the motions in Annisquam even earlier, like late 1700’s? I may be misinformed.
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