Wally Paton at the Bald Hill Granite Quarry – 1934
My Dad grew up on a granite quarry in Wells, Maine during the Great Depression.
“Like thousands of others, my grandfather, George Paton, was forced to take to the road in search of any employment he could find. When my Dad was six years old the family moved to Wells, Maine, when Grandpa George got a job at the Bald Hill Granite Quarry there.” Excerpt from Journey Home: How a Simple Act of Kindness Led to the Creation of a Living Legacy by Bonnie Paton Moon
Bald Hill Quarry was originally owned by a conglomerate known as Swenson Pink Granite of Concord, New Hampshire. A family-owned business founded in 1883 by Swedish immigrant John Swenson, it has recently reopened under the name Millennium Granite, owned now by a gentleman named Richard Bois. Mr. Bois, a civil engineer, has a special affinity for the quarry having grown up nearby and having spent endless hours playing in the fields nearby – not unlike my Dad who spent most of his childhood running around these same fields and woods.
A couple weeks ago an email arrived on Mr. Bois’ desk from a Harvard professor and architect who is doing research on the granite used in the Seagram Building in New York City – “as you know granite from your quarry was used in the famous plaza there.” The Harvard professor asked to tour the quarry and was interested in any historical documents or pictures Mr. Bois might have.
Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I, too, became curious as to what had become of the Bald Hill Quarry so I conducted some of my own research. When I read on the Millennium website that Mr. Bois had reopened the quarry after years of dormancy, I decided to reach out to him and send along a few photos of the Paton years living on his quarry. I included the story of my Dad’s later success in creating a world famous birding sanctuary in Patagonia, Arizona called Paton’s Birder Haven. With my permission, Mr. Bois shared this with the Harvard professor. The architect wrote back the following.
“Thank you for sharing these emails and stories. I find the stories very touching, a very genuine glimpse of life around the quarry at that time. It is really striking how amazing that depression era WWII generation was, how they lived and what all they accomplished. These stories are a fine glimpse into that. I am finding such rich information that I think I will turn the project from an article into a book.”
Who knows, perhaps a few of our quarry photos or a bit of my Dad’s story will show up in the architects article or book – or perhaps I will even write a story myself. I am planning a field trip to the old Bald Hill Quarry this summer and will combine it with seeing the Paton Homestead where my grandmother’s relatives lived for decades. More to come…….
George and Edith Paton and children, Doris and Wally, arrive at the Bald Hill Quarry – 1929
Journey Home 
I just found this page and was delighted to see a place that I spent many weekends at when my grandfather and dad worked there. My grandfather James (Jake) Holshouser was the man that ran the Wells quarry and retired when they closed it down in the 1970’s. He spent his off time finding new granite sites to quarry. So many memories for this girl. I learned to chisel granite and have passed it down to my daughter. They even quarried on the island Vinalhaven Maine when i was growing up. My mom would pack us up and head for the weekend to see Dad and Granddad. It was so much fun when we would take the ferry over and see captain Phil.
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Wow! That is so cool. Thanks so much for reaching out to me. My grandfather, George Paton, had a good friend named Jake. Could it be the same Jake????
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My father owned a farm
house on Bald Hill Rd 1967-71 we use it as a summer/ wknd getaway , as a young boy we went there with family, my friend John Fenderson who lived near by right of Bald Hill rd would often go to the quarry on our way for a swim at L pond riding our bikes up the steep hill ,and if I remember right there was a water source to quench our thirst an old hand water pump, I never saw any activity in the quarry during that time.period .My father had told me JFK head stone had come from there not sure if correct but that’s what we were told, unfortunately my father and my friend John have long passed.Running across this brought fond memory of my happy youth in Wells Maine I still summer in Maine but at old Orchard Beach.
Sorry if this is a repeat not sure if my first comment went through
John
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My family owned a house on Bald hill td that we used for a summer/ wknd getaway 1967-1971. I remember as a young boy peddling my bike up the hill with my friend John Fenderson who was from Wells and lived off Bald Hill rd near us.We would often stop at the quarry on our way to L pond for a swim. I don’t remember ever seeing any activity in the quarry during those years. But I remember my father saying JFK head stone might have come from there not sure if that is true or not but he thought it was.
Unfortunately both my father and my old friend John have since passed reading about the quarry brought back wonderful memories .
John
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Thanks very much for sharing your special memories about Bald Hill. The Quarry was dormant for years before Richard Bois purchased it and brought it back to life – now called Millenium Granite. Granite from that Quarry was used in building the front plaza of the Seagram Building in NYC, Tiffany’s Department Store, the Statler Hotel and others. You might find interest in reading my other posts about Bald Hill under Bald Hill Granite Quarry Visit – Paton Legacy – Part II which talks about my return visit to Bald Hill in 2018 and Bald Hill Granite – Paton Legacy – Part III in which I talk about the architect ( Harvard Professor mentioned) who goes on to write a book about the Seagram Building called “Unless” published in 2021. He includes in the book a chapter about Bald Hill Granite and the story about my family living there during the depression. Love Maine and my family still vacations there every summer. Special place.
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My great-great grandparents are buried there. Kevin Adams, Wells Maine
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Is there a place at the Quarry that has a burial ground? When I visited in 2018 and the new owner gave our family a tour, he did not mention the fact that people are buried there. My grandparents lived at the Quarry in a small house – which is not there anymore. Are there others buried there besides your great-great grandparents? Did they work there? Thanks for reaching out.
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