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Little remains today to remind us of what once was a flourishing industry here in the Queen City of Marquette. From a small farm site in South Marquette once known as “Pendills Farm,” a highly unusual colored stone was mined and shipped to all parts of the United States. Indeed, even such distant places as Cornwall, England and Montreal, Canada became the proud recipients of this rare and beautiful type of sandstone.
Among its architectural credits stand such renowned buildings as the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the city hall in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Michigan School of Mines at Michigan Technological University in Houghton. The Marquette County Courthouse was one of the last major buildings constructed of this material in 1903.
In 1869, the farm was sold to George Craig who became the first known person to mine and market the sandstone from the area. In approximately 1870, John Henry Jacobs from Lorian, Ohio bought the quarry and named it the Wolf and Company Quarry. In 1872 a group of investors which included Disney Adams, T.B. Brooks, Williams Burt, F.F. Ely and the renowed Peter White formed a corporation and changed the name to the Marquette Brownstone Quarry.
The quarry continued to flourish despite economic ups and downs in the area well into the 1890’s. The advent of other building materials such as concrete and limestone eventually led to the closing of the mine in 1910.
Now the area is alive and flourishing once again with the development of Shiras Pointe Condominiums. Shiras Pointe, Marquette Superior Lifestyle has successfully combined the most important elements you look for in selecting a new place to live. Quiet carefree living on 12.5 beautiful acres, serene waterfront living, wandering park paths, large open natural area, all located in the center of everything Marquette offers. You can be shopping downtown Marquette or the Mall area in minutes. The airport is a short ride away. So are some of the areas finest restaurants as well as UP Health Systems - Marquette specialty care hospital and medical facilities.
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