You Say “Halibut”, I say “Haul About”

Today we went on a tour of the Babson Farm Quarry at Halibut Point State Park with John, program coordinator. If you’ve been there, you know those massive pieces of rock that you walk by???  Well, John gave us a lot of insight as to their origins and the history of quarry mining in this area.  First and foremost, he told us the original name of (what we know as ) Halibut Point was Haul About.  This phrase apparent evolved into Halibut.  Go figure.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The main quarry area at Halibut Point State Park is 65 feet deep and I have no idea how far across, but it’s a darn big bowl of granite.  Any waste from wildlife or 2 legged creatures has never had a chance to be removed, so it’s not a safe place to swim or for other recreation. (You’ve been warned)  Smaller mining areas, called motions, are also easily visible at the park and were generally used for things like pave stones.  We saw 2 of these in the hour we toured around the larger quarry area.  Well, to be honest, John pointed them out to us since we probably wouldn’t have otherwise noticed.

When you see things like this:

it’s evidence that derricks that were built to help haul the granite out  were built in this area.  These are called “dead men”(da da daaaaaaa).  Apparently, technology (invention of concrete) and changes in workers rights (unions) were major factors in the demise of the granite quarry industry in this region.

It was fascinating and if you’d like to be similarly informed, you may still be able to catch a free tour at Halibut Point State Park before Columbus Day this year.  Please be aware parking fees have changed since July, but it’s still a great deal!