Although granite is no longer quarried here, it can still be seen in buildings in many eastern cities, such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.

The combination of bare rock ledges and proximity to tidewater made this granite amenable to quarrying in the early 19th century.

From there it was taken on the Penobscot River and distributed to eastern ports in Massachusetts, New York, and Philadelphia, and to "western" cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.

Transport of the granite was by two graded tracks, each 1,200 feet (370 m) long, operated by gravity from the quarry part way down the hill to the power house, thence by a cable road (Roebling engine) 1¼ miles to the wharf, which is accessible to schooners at 15 feet (4.6 m) draft.

[5] The surviving elements of the quarry works were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.