Griffith Quarry, a registered
California Historical Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, was a former
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
near
Penryn, California
Penryn ( Washo: ''Pénwin'') is a census-designated place in Placer County, California, in the United States. Geographic location is . Penryn is located northeast of Rocklin. The community's ZIP code is 95663 and is in area codes 916 and 279. ...
.
History
The quarry was established by Griffith Griffith, a native of
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, in 1864. The quarry produced high-quality granite used to construct many buildings in San Francisco and Sacramento, including parts of the
California State Capitol
The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, al ...
.
The that surround the 2-story building, made of granite blocks, are the remains of the quarry and its polishing mill.
This mill was the first successful granite polishing mill in California.
The office of Penryn Granite Works, which ran the quarry, is now the Griffith Quarry Museum that contains history about the site as well as other local history. Some of the original furniture of the Griffith Quarry is intact.
Recreation
Dirt walking trails can be found throughout the 23-acre park. These trails take visitors through the ruins of the polishing mill and some of the quarry holes from which granite was taken. Printed trail guides are available in the museum.
See also
*
California Historical Landmarks in Placer County, California
List table of the properties and districts — listed on the California Historical Landmarks — within Placer County, California.
:*Note: ''Click the "Map of all coordinates" link to the right to view a Google map of all properties and districts ...
*
References
External links
Official Griffith Quarry Museum website— ''a collection of photos of the quarry''.
Mines in California
Museums in Placer County, California
Mining museums in California
California Historical Landmarks
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Granite quarries
National Register of Historic Places in Placer County, California
{{California-museum-stub