By Kate Rauhauser-Smith
A mining industry publication in 1927 stated the Mount Airy quarries employed more than 750 people with a payroll of $900,000 a year. The craftsmen turned out ornate pieces and building blocks in several finishes but, by far, the more common products have been more mundane items such as street curbing. Concrete curbs deteriorate in a few years in harsh northern winters where salt and the freeze-thaw cycle are constant. Granite is impervious to such destructive forces. A large group of quarry workers are pictured here in 1914 in one of the cutting sheds.
The US Census records show the impact the quarry had on regional diversity with significant clusters of residents born in European mining centers around the quarry. Carving rock is a specialized skill that takes decades to master. Three of the best known are pictured here in the 1940s. From left are Marcelino San Emeterio, who was born in Santander, Spain; Vincenzo “Big Jim” Alfano, from Salerno, Italy;