Thousands of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and across Europe helped make this region an epicenter of the marble industry. Quarries drew workers and artists to Rutland County starting in the late 1700s. By the late 1800s, Vermont Marble Company was one of the world's largest businesses, with 4,000 employees, and as a cornerstone of the local economy it essentially built Proctor. Local quarries, including what is now Vermont Quarries, produced stone for iconic buildings and memorials including the U.S. Supreme Court, Jefferson Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and thousands of grave markers in Arlington National Cemetery. Today, Vermont Quarries' Danby Quarry is the world's largest underground quarry, 1.5 miles deep.