The first granite quarried in Hallowell was taken from the property of John Hains, about three miles west of the village, in 1815. The stone was shipped to Boston where it was used for the cornice stones of Quincy Market. The area was later called "Hains Ledge". The stone was removed by placing "rising wedges" into hand-drilled holes in the granite and then splitting it into pieces. In later years steam drills and steam operated derrick cranes were used to remove large pieces of stone which were carried into town on large wagons called galamanders. This image shows the largest piece of granite to be quarried at Hallowell being lifted by ropes and wedges to be placed on a cart or wagon for transportation. The quarry worker gives scale to the granite slab.