Barre, Vermont: Granite Capital of the World

Barre is a small city in Vermont, just a few miles east of Montpelier. The City of Barre sits atop one of the world’s best sources of high-quality granite. After a boom in the late 1800s, Barre became a center of quality craftsmanship. To this day, it remains a great place to see some amazing granite sculptures. There are a couple of nice memorials downtown, but the best spot to look at the sculptures is Hope Cemetery, just north of the city. I went to Barre in December 2011 and took some pictures, with a fresh coat of show on the ground.

Note: I have decided to forgo snarky captions on this set of pictures, out of respect for the dead. May they rest in peace.

Around Barre

World War I Memorial

Monument to Italian Workers

Hope Cemetery

Some people may think it’s morbid, or even disrespectful, to go to a cemetery and photograph the graves of people I’ve never met. I certainly don’t mean it that way. As a student of history, I spend a lot of time thinking about the past, and how people who lived back many years ago were still just people like you and me. I think it’s good to be reminded of our own mortality and our own place in history. I hope you do too.