Portland Brownstone

Reddish-brown sandstone outcropping along the eastern shore of the Connecticut River at Portland became central to the town's history and to building across the nation. Formed when sediment filled a rift valley created by the breakup of Pangea, the stone preserved dinosaur footprints from life that once roamed the area. Settlers used it for walls, chimneys, and tombstones, and by the late 1600's residents, unsure of the supply, began limiting its removal. Over the next century, as brownstone gained value, quarrying developed and local restrictions were lifted, and three quarry companies eventually claimed ownership of the quarry land, beginning the brownstone era. Throughout the 1800's, the industry shaped Portland's character as immigrant workers from Ireland and Sweden settled there to meet rising demand from cities such as New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, where brownstone was used for row houses, public buildings, homes, and universities. Quarry companies bought schooners from Portland's shipbuilders to carry the stone down the Connecticut River, and by the mid 1800's steam locomotives replaced oxen and sling in moving it to the river. As the 20th century approached, changing building styles and the use of steel and concrete reduced brownstone's popularity. The struggling industry suffered further when the record flood of 1936 filled the quarries with water, and the 1938 hurricane buried equipment and buildings again despite recovery efforts. Quarrying removed an estimated 10,000,000 cubic yards of brownstone from Portland before the site sat for almost 50 years. In 1994, Portland Brownstone Quarries Inc. opened on a small scale and supplied stone for restoration projects at universities, historic landmarks, and churches in cities including New York and Boston until 2012. Today the quarries remain a National Historic Landmark and a place where many people swim and play.

Portland, Connecticut · United States