Why is nh called the granite state

Up until the late s, drilling was done by hand and workers were not required to wear hard hats, much less any other safety equipment. Stone workers had to travel deep into holes that could be hundreds of feet deep to split and haul blocks out of the pit. The size and quality of the blocks varied, due to the restrictions of available tools, and finding the right stone for specific projects was a huge challenge.

The Swenson Granite Company was founded in by John Swenson, who came to New Hampshire via Sweden, where he was born, and set about learning the trade of his adoptive home. Soon, the company expanded by acquiring the Hollis Quarry, then the Railway Quarry, from which came better rock for both monumental and building purposes.

More acquisitions followed, and today the company owns about acres on the hill, which runs about three miles in length. The current acre quarry hole extends feet deep, where ton walls are sawn with wire saws and tipped with air bags.

Then, the ton blocks are split away by drilling holes and driving wedges with a sledge before being lifted to the surface by huge cranes. It is by far the largest granite-cutting operation in New Hampshire.

When the Library of Congress was built in the late 's, men worked six years to split and finish the , cubic feet of granite needed to fulfill the contract. The granite was transported from Concord to Washington on 2, railway cars. It still stands as the most monumental structure ever erected of Concord Gray granite. Parts of the Washington Monument were also constructed with this timeless granite. Can granite only be found in New Hampshire? New Hampshire is known as "the Granite State", but less than half is underlain by granite; much of it is schist or gneiss, both of which are metamorphic rocks.

When did New Hampshire became the Granite State? It was the ninth state to ratify the U. Constitution in June of What's New Hampshire famous for? The first is the one by which the state is commonly known. Granite State: for our extensive granite formations and quarries.

Mother of Rivers: for the rivers of New England that originate in our Mountains. Switzerland of America: for our beautiful mountain scenery. What is illegal in New Hampshire? It is illegal to pick up seaweed off the beach. What food is NH famous for?

Don't blame us! New Hampshire food is just delicious! Apple Cider Donuts. Concord granite is greyish with a unique salt and pepper appearance and is well-known for its lack of imperfections.

Although both types of granite can be found in other locations, they are named after two cities within the granite state. It has been rumored that in Marquis De Layfette, a general in the American military, visited New Hampshire and remarked that it was the granite state, which it has been referred to ever since.

Another granite phenomenon in New Hampshire is the Old Man of the Mountain, which is the image of an old man's profile on the side of Profile Mountain. The height of this natural sculpture has been recorded at around 40 feet about This is another factor that contributes to the nickname the granite state but the official date of discovery of this mountain profile is a matter of dispute.