Massachusetts Hornfels-Braintree Slate Quarry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Massachusetts Hornfels-Braintree Slate Quarry
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Hornfels
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| Nearest city | Milton, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 63 acres (25 ha) |
| Built | 1825 |
| MPS | Blue Hills and Neponset River Reservations MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000653 |
| Added to NRHP | September 25, 1980 |
The Massachusetts Hornfels-Braintree Slate Quarry is a really old archaeological site in Milton and Quincy, Massachusetts. It's a place where people long ago dug up special rocks. They used these rocks to make tools. People used this quarry from about 7,000 years ago until the early 1600s. Tools made from these rocks have been found all over eastern Massachusetts. This important site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Discovering an Ancient Rock Quarry
Amateur archaeologists found the Hornfels Quarry in 1974. They were looking for where ancient people got their stone tools. Many tools made from a special kind of rock had been found nearby.
At first, people thought this rock came from volcanoes. But then, a lot of the same rock was found near a river. This made researchers think the source was very close. They found the quarry while looking for old sites near a golf course being built. This was north of the Blue Hills Reservation.
What Kind of Rock Was Used?
The stone at this quarry is not from volcanoes. It is a very hard type of slate called hornfels. This rock has a lot of silica, which makes it super strong. This strength was perfect for Native Americans making tools.
Archaeologists found special diabase stone disks at the site. These disks might have been used to start making tools. Or, they could have been used to help dig out more rock from the quarry. Tools made from this quarry's rock have been found as far away as Rhode Island.
