Quincy Quarries

The Quincy Quarries are a DCR historic site on Ricciuti Drive in West Quincy, next to the Blue Hills Reservation, where America's large-scale granite industry began. The old Granite Railway Quarry was drained and filled in for safety, and it reopened in 2003 for rock climbing, hiking and picnics. Parking is free and the site is open dawn to dusk. Swimming is not allowed.

If you remember the deep water, that quarry is gone. What's left is a landscaped site of granite walls and old quarry workings, with climbing on faces that once dropped into nearly 300 feet of water.

Can You Swim at the Quincy Quarries?

No. Swimming and diving are on DCR's list of prohibited activities at the site, and there's no deep water left to swim in. For decades the flooded Granite Railway Quarry was famous, and in DCR's word infamous, for swimming and diving. In 1999 the state decided its depths of nearly 300 feet were a public safety threat, so the quarry was drained and filled.

For a legal swim nearby, Houghton's Pond in the Blue Hills has a lifeguarded beach and free parking.

Rock Climbing at the Quincy Quarries

Climbing is the main draw now. DCR says the steep quarry walls are good for top-rope climbing, and its Blue Hills map lists the Quincy Quarries as the place to rock climb in the reservation, with one condition: proper safety equipment is required.

• Bring your own rope, harness, helmet and anchor gear. DCR doesn't list any rental or guide service at the site.
• If you've never set up a top-rope anchor, climb with someone who has, or take a class first.

Hiking and Picnics

DCR lists hiking, picnic areas and scenic views at the site. DCR's brochure map shows the quarry pits, trails and the route of the old Granite Railway.

The historic site is also an edge of the bigger Blue Hills. The DCR trail map shows the quarries at the eastern end of the reservation, the same end the Skyline Trail crosses on its way west.

History of the Quincy Quarries

DCR's brochure tells the story. In 1825, after searching New England, Solomon Willard picked West Quincy as the source of stone for the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. His building methods made hard Quincy granite practical to work, and he became known as the Father of the Granite Industry.

To move the stone, the Granite Railway was built in 1826. Engineered by Gridley Bryant, it was a pioneer of American railroading and is now a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Over the next 140 years, more than 50 quarries worked in Quincy, and the city became known as the Granite City. Quincy granite was prized for being hard, dark and able to take a high polish. It went into customs houses in Boston, Savannah, New Orleans and San Francisco. The last active quarry closed in 1963.

The Granite Railway Quarry itself opened in 1830, first called Pine Hill Ledge, and its granite finished the Bunker Hill Monument. It was worked until the early 1940s, then filled with groundwater through the cracks in the rock. The state bought the 22 acres around it in 1985, and DCR manages another 90 acres of quarry remains next door. DCR's historic site brochure has a site map.

Rules at the Quarries

DCR's brochure lists what's prohibited at the historic site:

• Swimming or diving
• Alcohol
• Motorized vehicles
• Dumping or littering
• Open fires
• Hunting, trapping, firearms, bows and explosives
• Damaging or removing plants, animals, structures or artifacts

Dogs are allowed; DCR's Blue Hills rules require a leash. The site is open dawn to dusk. See our rules page for the reservation-wide list.

How to Get to the Quincy Quarries

By car, take I-93 to the Furnace Brook Parkway exit in Quincy. Follow signs to Willard Street, then turn onto Ricciuti Drive at the large Quarry Hills sign. The quarries are a quarter mile up on the right. Parking is free.

By transit, take the Red Line to Quincy Center, then MBTA bus 215 to Copeland and Willard Streets. Walk left on Willard Street, under the expressway, and take the first right onto Ricciuti Drive. The quarries are a quarter mile on the right. Other Blue Hills lots are on our parking page.

Questions go to DCR, which lists (617) 727-4573 for the site on its Quincy Quarries page.