GENERAL INFORMATION CENTER Quick links: Downloadable Price List and Color Brochure Hard Facts About Granite Did you know? Granite Step Production Tour Glossary Of Terms Types of Granite / Finishes / Colors - Samples are shown to give you an idea of what granite colors Swenson Granite Works offers. We highly recommend that you see samples of the stone in person before finalizing your order with us. Archive Photo Gallery Hard Facts About Granite Granite is a hard, coarse-grained rock consisting of different minerals, chiefly quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase feldspar. The minerals are interlocked like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, making it one of the strongest and most durable rocks. New Hampshire's nickname was The Granite State as early as 1830. The actual birth date of the moniker can be pinpointed to the American Revolutionary hero General Lafayette, who stopped by Concord in 1825 as part of a triumphal tour. A young lawyer named Philip Carrigain penned a seven-stanza song entitled "Lafayette's Return" for the occasion. It included this line: "He comes, by fond entreaties moved, The Granite State to see." As early as 1810, granite was used to build a state prison in Concord. After the prison was complete, inmates hewed 3,000 tons of granite to build the State House. In the early days, huge blocks of granite were transported by teams of horses through expanding roadways and river canals. Canal transportation dominated until the railroad came to Concord in 1842. By 1920, granite was transported by road. In 1823, a single Concord boulder, split into blocks, was sold in Boston for $6,219. In 1894, New Hampshire ranked fifth in New England and the United States in value of granite produced: $737,702. In 1850, Rattlesnake Hill quarries employed 20 people. By 1900, 1,000 worked there. Today, about 45. In 1929, 25 percent of the employees in Concord were employed in the granite quarries. In 1896, about 31,000 tons of granite were shipped out of Concord by rail. That was considered a dull year. [TOP OF PAGE] DID YOU KNOW? FROM NEW ENGLAND TO WASHINGTON SWENSON GRANITE WORKS IS HONORED TO HELP REBUILD A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL PRIDE AND STRENGTH Ceremonies were held in 2002 commemorating the anniversary of September 11, 2001, including a re-dedication of the restored wing of The Pentagon that was destroyed in the deadly attacks. Aside from the extensive reconstruction needed on the building, some of the grounds leading to that portion of the building also needed restoration. With authenticity being of the utmost importance, there were challenges in finding the right materials. Thanks to some yankee ingenuity and a commitment to quality craftsmanship, the granite entrance has been brought back to it’s original splendor. The color of the granite that was originally used for the construction of the steps for all of the entrances of the building in 1942 was Swenson Pink Granite, quarried in Maine by The Swenson Granite Company. Unfortunately, that quarry had been shut down many years ago, so the search was on for a suitable alternative. Bob Pope, president of The Swenson Granite Company, suggested that Columbia Pink, which was quarried in New Hampshire by Rock of Ages Corporation, would be a close match. Even though that quarry is no longer active, there was a small quantity of the granite stockpiled at the Rock of Ages facility in Barre, Vermont. Once that color was confirmed as a viable alternative, the attention turned to the unique finish that was applied to the original steps some sixty years before. Due to the advent of more modern technologies and streamlining in the production of granite and stone, some of the old surfacing techniques have gone by the wayside. After a trip to inspect the “six-cut finish” on the original steps at The Pentagon, Bob Pope searched until he located one of the old surfacing machines, and, with some re-tooling (by The Trow and Holden Tool Company in Barre) to comply with modern safety standards, the machine was ready to be used in production. After the first attempt at reproducing the unique finish didn’t work, Mr. Pope consulted Joe Holden, a retired foreman from the former Anderson-Friberg production plant, who had used the old surfacing machines when they were state-of-the-art in the 1940’s. Mr. Holden recognized the problem right away, and instructed the production crew as to the proper method. As a whole, The Swenson Granite Company provided 600 square feet of steps, and 350 square feet of pavers to the project, all in “Pentagon Pink,” the name that the granite was dubbed by John Stacy, the production Manager at the company’s production facility in Barre. The Swenson Granite Company is proud to have been a part of the restoration process, and hopes their work will stand testament to the American Spirit that made this nation Great. [TOP OF PAGE] GLOSSARY OF TERMS ROCK FACE Heavy Relief, Hand Cut (Chiseled) Finish SPLIT Natural Grain Split, Produced by Hydraulics or Wedges and Shims SAWN Dull, Smooth Finish Created by Wire or Diamond Saw, May Show Blade Marks THERMAL Slightly Pebbled, Non-Skid Finish Produced by the Application of High Temperature Flame HONED Non-reflective Dull Sheen Finish, Achieved by Rubbing the Stone With a Series of Abrasives BUSH-HAMMERED A Corrugated Finish, with Interrupted Parallel Markings or Dimples, Produced by Utilizing Pneumatic Tools POLISHED Mirror Gloss Finish, Achieved by Rubbing the Stone with a Series of Abrasives ANTIQUED (Cushion Edge) Mottling of Edges and Corners with High Temperature Flame SANDBLAST Slightly Textured, Produced with Abrasives under High Pressure [TOP OF PAGE] TYPES OF GRANITE / FINISHES / COLORS Each block section is approximately 12 inches square. A) WOODBURY GRAY - POLISH B) WOODBURY GRAY - SANDBLAST C) CALEDONIA - POLISH D) CALEDONIA - THERMAL E) BETHEL WHITE - POLISH F) BETHEL WHITE - THERMAL G) AUTUMN PINK - POLISH H) AUTUMN PINK - THERMAL I) DEER ISLE - POLISH J) DEER ISLE - THERMAL K) BLACK DIAMOND- POLISH L) BLACK DIAMOND- THERMAL M) CONCORD GRAY- POLISH N) CONCORD GRAY- THERMAL Samples are shown to give you an idea of what granite colors Swenson Granite Works offers. We highly recommend that you see samples of the stone in person before finalizing your order with us. [TOP OF PAGE]