Facts About Georgia Granite Mines

Granite mining has been a very important part of Georgia's history. Granite, a hard natural igneous rock, has been mined in the Georgia Piedmont area for many years, adding to the area's appeal as a manufacturing location.

Granite Manufacturing Plants

As of 2009, there are more than 150 manufacturing plants in Georgia that create memorials, grave markers and countertops produced to be shipped all over the world.

Quarries

There are 45 operating granite quarries in Georgia, most of them located in or near Elberton.

Area

The Piedmont area, where granite is most plentiful in Georgia, stretches from Savannah to the Broad River.

Agriculture

The large amount of granite in the land surrounding Elberton prevents the residents from being able to grow agricultural products in the area.

Beginnings

The first quarry was opened in Elberton shortly after the end of the Civil War in 1882, when local residents first began to use granite, primarily to build local railroads.

References

• Georgia Encyclopedia
• Granite Manufacturing

Resources

• Elberton Granite Industry