Quarrying Broad Rock Island

Early settlers to Richmond called Belle Isle Broad Rock Island because of the large, flat granite found there. Granite was quarried there from the late 1800s until early 1923, when workers struck a seam that allowed water from the James River to fill the quarry. The work was dangerous, and many workers were injured or died. The workers were often enslaved people or convicts. Using steam-powered drills and dynamite, workers removed large chunks of granite, while smaller pieces were cut by hand with a wedge-and-feather system. A derrick lifted the granite onto rail carts, which followed the route now used to reach the eastern end of Belle Isle. Evidence of quarrying remains in the straight lines, right angles, and drill holes around the river.

Richmond, Virginia · United States