The village of Quarry was laid out in 1868 by the LeGrand Quarry Company 3 miles west of LeGrand. It takes its name from the business of the place. Great quantities of limestone were located in the area and the quarries have been worked constantly since 1865. At the junction of Quarry Road and Zeller Avenue, Cessford Construction still operates a quarry in the area. The limestone was of such quality as to be called LeGrand marble by the locals. Quarry stone was used to build the Marshall County Court House, the original Marshalltown Library and the original Iowa State Historical Building.
The Quarry post office was established in 1867 and the original population was around 200-300 people, most of them involved in working at the Quarry. It was situated on the North Western Railway with "LeGrand Marble" the principle export. The old railroad depot built in 1870 sits at the intersection of Quarry Road and Quarry Avenue. It is the oldest Chicago North Western Depot in Iowa and the only one made of quarry stone. It is privately owned and has been renovated into a private residence.
Today the Quarry area is probably best known for the work of Burnice H. Beane. As a youth he was interested in collecting fossils around the LeGrand stone quarry. As an adult his discovery of rare Crinoid deposits went a long way in helping to prove that a great portion of America had been under a sea several million years ago. Beane, who was a farmer by trade, ultimately became a well known authority on Crinoids-a sea urchin like creature. He traveled widely giving talks, and his home was visited by scientists from around the world who wanted to learn his techniques of fossil recovery and view his displays. His finds are now shown in numerous universities and other museums all over the world. Some of the largest pieces are located at the Marshall County Historical Building, the Iowa Historical Building and at the Smithsonian.
The village of Quarry celebrated its sesquicentennial on july 1, 2018.