Maine Memory Network

Slate Quarry employees, Monson, ca. 1930

Help identify these slate quarry workers

Contributed by: Monson Historical Society Date: circa 1930 Location: Monson Media: Photographic print

Slate Quarry workers in front of mill, Monson, ca. 1890

Contributed by: Monson Historical Society Date: circa 1890 Location: Monson Media: Photographic print

Extracting Wealth

Maine's natural resources -- granite, limestone and slate in particular -- along with its excellent ports made it a leader in mining and production of the valuable building materials. Stone work also attracted numerous skilled immigrants.

Laboring in Maine

Workers in Maine have labored in factories, on farms, in the woods, on the water, among other locales. Many of Maine's occupations have been determined by the state's climate and geographical features.

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 4 of 17

"Biddeford’s granite and slate cutting was a crucial part of their economy and even helped support the build of the Western Railroad in 1872."

Historic Hallowell - Industry at the Mouth of the Vaughan Stream

"The slate was made of clay or volcanic ash. Slate, a rock formed from shale and mined by quarrying, had low heat and not very much pressure put on it."