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Workers of the Queenston Quarry Company

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Description

Black and white photographs of the employees of the Queenston Quarry Company, working on the site.
The limestone quarry near St. David in Niagara township was operated by the Queenston Quarry Company, and produced both crushed stone and building stone. The crushed stone was used for building purposes, roads and the building stone included dimension blocks, bases and cut stone. The cut stone is shaped by two gang saws and one diamond saw. An average of 40 men was employed (in 1920). Charles Matthew Lowrey [Lowery] was president and manager of the Queenston Quarry Company between 1905 and 1924 and G. W. McKeown, secretary.

Notes

Queenston stone (dolomitic limestone) has been quarried at least since the beginning of the nineteenth century and Queenston quarries produced the best building stone in Ontario. In the nineteenth century, most of Queenston limestone was used to construct the Welland Canal and railway bridges. It was also used in the following structures: the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse in Toronto(1809); the Buffalo lighthouse (1833); foundation of Queenston International Bridge (1837); Court House, Niagara-on-the-Lake (1840); locks for the second Welland Canal (1846); Brock's Monument in Queenston (1840 and 1856); culverts and bridges of Great Western Railway (1860); the east block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa (1859-1866); Welland Canal (1872-1876); gate and fence at the Governor General's residence in Ottawa (1878); Welland Canal (1880-1890); Post Offices in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls (1882); Power House in Niagara Falls, NY (1896-1900) and in Niagara Falls, ON (1902-1908); the retreat house at Mount Carmel, Niagara Falls (1899-1926); Table Rock House and Administration Building (Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Falls, ON) and some of the some of the buildings at Queen’s Park in Toronto as well as McMaster and Queens University.

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