Chester & Hudson Quarry EarthCache
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This cache is located, with permission, on the grounds of the Becket Land Trust Historic Quarry in Becket, Massachusetts. The grounds are open dusk to dawn and entrance is free of charge. Please enjoy this unique look into late 19th century to mid 20th century quarry operations in western Massachusetts.
The listed coordinates will take you to one of the most unique quarry sites in New England - The Chester & Hudson Quarry in Becket, Massachusetts.
Maps are supposed to be available at the kiosk in the parking lot but as is often the case at kiosks they are often out of stock. So to be on the safe side I suggest you download and print the maps. You will need the Quarry Walk Map and if you plan to hike the Forest Preserve Trails download the Trail map as well. You will also want to familiarize yourself with the definitions from the Becket Land Trust Quarry Brochure. |
Chester & Hudson Quarry
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The quarry from near the derrick |
As if frozen in time, the site has stayed the same, plus some rust, since the late 1940's. When the quarry was abandoned, much of the equipment and structures were left just as it was (it's like the quarrymen had gone home after work one day and never returned).
Walk through picturesque quarry trails featuring narrative signs identifying and describing artifacts and illuminating the history of this granite quarry, which served the Berkshire community for over one hundred years - spanning the industrial revolution. Among the objects on the self-guided historic walk are wooden ‘guy' and ‘stiff arm' derricks, grout piles (picturesque hills of jagged rock composed of the waste product of the quarrying process), bullwheels, drills, winches, a grout pan, rusted trucks, compressors, and an electrical generator shed that is thought to have been constructed from a Sears kit.
The defining ‘signature piece' of the quarry, is a reconstructed ‘guy derrick' that looms over the quarry pit site. This derrick boasts a mast of 55' and a boom of 50'. The mast was originally rotated on a ‘bullwheel', measuring 10-12 feet in diameter.
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Photos from around the quarry site. These and similar items are what you can expect to find at the Chester & Hudson Quarry (Becket Quarry).
Click on a photo to enlarge and get more information. |
Stiff Leg Derrick
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Haul Truck
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Compressor Truck
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Blasting Tunnel
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Derrick Winch
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Grout Pile
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Chester Granite Works
Hauled along the Chester & Becket Railroad for over three miles from where it was quarried in Becket into Chester to be worked, the blue-hued granite of Becket became known as "Chester dark" and "Chester light" to geologists, a sample's classification determined by the amount of black mica tinging the stone. In 1885, granite quarrying, cutting and polishing was growing into an important industry in Chester, the fine-grained stone highly desirable for its monument-quality texture.
| These 1937 photos of the Chester Granite Works were donated to the Chester Historical Society by Ruth Boldini. Click to enlarge. |
Chester Granite Works
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Saw Shed?
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Chester Granite Works
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Ready to ship
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Polishing Mill
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Finished Product
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| To get Credit for this cache:
Go ahead and log your find and then send me an e-mail – not part of your log – answering the following:
1) What was a Sullivan Drill used for? (The answer can be found in the parking area)
2) What is a "Motion"? (You will find the answer at station 9)
3) At the electrical shed you will read about the main electrical generator for the quarry. Where might have the prefabricated structure come from?
You may also upload a picture of the quarry - this is optional.
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Additional Hints
(No hints available.)