famous monuments of the nation

Hallowell granite was prized for its light color and fine grain. It has a high percentage of feldspar which made it relatively easy to quarry and carve—relative, but still not easy since it is granite after all. When properly dress by the sculptor it shines almost as white as marble and when polished the surface can glitter like diamonds. It is beautiful stone.

Hallowell granite was used for many of America’s most important monuments—as well as local doorsteps and foundations still seen around town. The cornice stones for Boston’s Quincy Market were cut from John Hain’s Hallowell quarry, shipped down the Kennebec and cut and placed starting in 1815.

Eight to ten teams of horses and oxen hauled the granite loaded onto heavy wagons, called galamanders. Once quarried and carved locally the granite was carefully crated for transport in wood from the local lumber mills.

Granite was shipped by rail and by ship down the Kennebec.

The Hall of Records and the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York City were built using Hallowell Granite. Hallowell had huge granite contracts for Chicago’s Marshall Field Building and the Post Office in Chicago, Ill. were large contracts. The largest contract was for the State Capitol at Albany, NY, from 1867-1898, totaling 25 million dollars.

Hallowell granite was used to build the Maine State House, the Kennebec Arsenal, and the Maine Insane Hospital in Augusta.

Who were the stone carvers and quarrymen?

Stone cutters and quarrymen came from Italy, England, Spain, Scotland and Canada to work in Hallowell’s thriving granite industry.

In 1901 a skilled Maine granite cutter could earn between $2.80 to $3.20 a day. This was a solid middle class income at the time. Quarrymen tended to earn between $1.75 and $2.00 per day.

Tony (Masciadri) was a huge help to me, showing me traditional stone cutting and carving tools and demonstrating the proper way yo use them so I could depict the action in the mural.

artist, Chris Cart

Protasio Neri

Protasio Neri was one prominent Hallowell stone carver. Born in Levigliani, Italy, he was trained in stone carving in the marble quarries of Carrara, the quarries famous for the marble Michaelangelo preferreds. Protasio moved with his family to 1877 at age 27 to pursue his granite carving career in Hallowell. Neri was very involved in unionizing the stone carvers to improve their working conditions.

William Rich

Another granite worker, William Rich, came from Cornwall, England to work the Bodwell quarry in 1872. He was a gifted stone carver who worked carving the statue of “Faith,” statue that sits atop the national Monument to the Forefathers now in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Locally in Hallowell, you can see his carving over the door of the Hubbard Free Library.

Settimio Masciadri

Settimo Masciadri came from Italy near Lake Como, in 1895 when Governor Joseph Bodwell’s company Hallowell Granite Works sent out a worldwide call for stone carvers.

Settimio worked for Bodwell for 5 years and got his United States citizenship. He returned to Italy and married his girlfriend. They returned in 1902 where their son Americo, Tony Masciadri’s father, was born.

Americo grew up working stone like his father. He also worked for the WPA for a time. Then Americo and Joe Perrazi bought Kennebec Monument which eventually became the Masciadri & Sons Monument that we know today.

In the 1970’s Tony Masciadri came back to town to assist his father in the family stone monument business. He stayed on to take over the business. He only recently retired in 2023. Though he still does some work at the shop.