History

Barre is located at one of Vermont's major crossroads. From its early settlements in the 1780s, Barre grew gradually into a farming and small industrial center.

In the early 1800s settlers began to notice the value of the large deposits of granite in the surrounding area. With the advent of the railroads in 1875, Barre was quickly developed with its new-found wealth from the granite quarries. In the 1800's Barre was Vermont's fastest growing and most cosmopolitan city. It took on many aspects of a Western Gold Rush town as thousands of immigrants flocked to work in the quarries.

After years of decline in the granite industry, Barre is once again putting a value on its unique granite heritage. The newly opened State Historical Museum and the multi-million dollar granite museum now in construction are helping to spur this reawakening of our great heritage. As a part of this reawakening, we are proud to provide access to the historic quarry trails of Millstone Hill. We hope that it will play a part in creating awareness of the rich and colorful history of Vermont's granite past.