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Checking Out Barre, VT – The Granite Capital of Vermont

Barre, is also known as the “Granite Capital” of the world

Barre Vermont
Barre Vermont – Courtesy of Wikimedia

Barre (pronounced as “Barry”), VT is a city in Washington County, central Vermont; settled in the late 18th century, incorporated as a city in 1894.

It is the processing and commercial center for the surrounding granite-quarrying and agricultural area; major manufactures include granite building stones and novelties, memorials and statues, and machine tools, and mass-transit rail cars are assembled here.

The community is named for Barre, Massachusetts, which was named for the British politician Isaac Barré. Barre is often referred to as the “twin city” with adjacent Montpelier.

Barre, VT is well known for it’s granite quarries, particularly Rock of Ages, the world’s largest granite quarry.

It is internationally known for high quality stone and artistry. Barre Gray granite has been used for products since the late 1700’s. In the 1800’s, Barre was the perfect location for work on monuments due to the coloring and texture of the granite. This attracted hundreds of immigrants to Barre where they were employed as stone cutters. Read the tragic story of Elia Corti.

Visit the Hope Cemetery for spectacular examples of the stonecutter’s workmanship. Hope Cemetery was established in 1895 and originally contained 53 acres. Since that time it has expanded to a total of 65 acres. Edward P. Adams, a nationally known landscape architect, created the original plan for the cemetery.

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Vermonter

Vermonter.com was started back in the mid 1990's as a Vermont resource guide. Since then it has evolved into more of a quirky historical and unusual chronicle of off beat Vermont folklore, myths and legends. It's easy to create a Vermont resource but damn hard to corral all the "good stuff" in one place. But hey, I'm having fun! This website is best enjoyed on a dark, rainy day with a cup of coffee and a loyal dog (or cat) asleep at your feet. So enjoy and have fun. "There be WEIRD stuff here!" Comment below, if you dare!