Nomination for Quincy Granite Railway Incline

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SNOILOA Form 10-300 (Rev.

6-72) PH0026387 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARKSERVICE ISTATE: Massachusetts COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM Norfolk (Type all entries complete applicable sections) FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY JON 1 9 1973 NAME C OMMON: Quincy Granite Railway Incline AND/ OR HISTORIC: Granite Railway Incline LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: Mullin Avenue CITY OR TOWN: Quincy STATE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Eleventh COUNTY: CODE 025 Massachusetts CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY (Check One) District Site Norfolk CODE 021 OWNERSHIP STATUS Building Structure [X Object Public Private Both Public Acquisition: In Process Being Considered Occupied Unoccupied Preservation work in progresr ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC Yes: Restricted Unrestricted No PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Agricultural Government Commercial Industrial Educational Military Entertainment Museum Park Private Residence Religious Scientific Transportation [x Other (Specity) historic - Comments OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME: city ot Qulncy STREET AND NUMBER: CITY OR TOWN: STATE: LOCATIDNYOF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Norfolk County Registry of Deeds STREET AND NUMBER: Massachusetts CITY OR TOWN: STATE Dedham REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY: Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE OF SURVEY: - Federal State DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: 40 Beacon Street CITY OR TOWN: STATE: Boston Massachusetts CODE 41 15025 APp RECEIVED 1973 NATIONAL REGISTER CODFCO 025 Massachusetts Norfo County - Local ,IUN 1 9 1973 Massachusetts CODE 025 HB Zn19 33/930 4-7880 COUNTY: ENTRY NUMBER DATE FOR NPS USE ONLY DESCRIPTION Excellent - Good Fair (Check One) Deteriorated Ruins CONDITION (Check One) Altered - Unaltered Moved - Unexposed (Check One) [ Original Site DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

The incline is located at the end of Mullin Street in Quincy, west of the south-east expressway to Boston. Mullin Street, a dead end, stops at the base (north end) of the Incline and partly forms the north perimeter of the defunct quarries. The terrain is rough and irregular, demonstrating the effects of the active years of quarrying. The area south of the Incline is characterized by numerous dirt roads and abandoned quarry pits. The original Incline, 315' long at an angle of 15 degrees, was built to overcome an 84' elevation which blocked access to the Pine Hill Ledge Quarry. The Incline was built in a similar manner to the main Granite Railway bed, 1' - 4' deep, excavated and filled with stone. sleepers or ties, 7' - 8' long, 8" - 14" across the top and 12" - 18" deep, were placed horizontally across the top of the bed at eight foot intervals.

Cars moving up and down the plane were controlled by a chain attached to each car. Today, one can see the pulley wheels that carried the chain. (This operation, just as Bryant designed and built it, remained in use until 1901 when regulation railroad tracks were laid over the original structure. In 1920, the tracks were removed, and two steel channels. were placed on the westerly side of the original track structure. A steel cable, powered by steam, was used to move the huge granite blocks. The Incline functioned until the early 1940's. Today, approximately 130- of the original structure remains; its top or south section has been removed along with the south portion of the elevation on which it was originally built. NAt the base of the Incline stad two commemorative pillars, 25' in height. The plaques on the pillar facings have been removed by vandals.

The Incline is 14' wide and includes the original roadbed, as well as subsequent modifications. The terrain adjacent to the roadbed is thinly wooded, and has not been built upon. Included in this submission is the entire 130' length of the Incline, and an area 40' wide on each side of the roadbed, measured from its center. 15116 13) RECEVED APR 4 1973 00 12 NATIONAL* REGISTER CO IL Z

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) - Pre-Columbian/ 15th Century 16th Century 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century 20th Century SPECIFIC DATE(s) (If Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abor iginal Education Prehistoric Engineering Historic Indus try Agriculture Invention Architecture Landscape Art Architecture Commerce Literature Communications Military Conservation Music 1826 Political Religion/Phi- losophy Science Sculpture Social/Human- itarian Theater Transportation Urban Planning Other (Sgecity) APp 1973 - NATIONAY REGISTER STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Statement of significance

TOL The Granite Railway, which transported stone for the Bunker Hill Monument from the quarries of luincy to the Neponset River in Milton, is the first example of the commercial use of rails in the United States. *The Granite Railway was incorporated March 4, 1826 and the first horse drawn car traversed the three mile distance on October 7, 1826. At a time when canals were considered the optimum method for the efficient flow of goods and merchandise, this innovative use of rails was met with skepticism.! Three years later, however, a committee appointed by the Massachusetts General Court recommended the construction of a similar line to Providenae, Rhode Island. The skepticism had passed and the Granite Railway had issued forth a new era.

Although horse power was used, fundamental engineering problems were solved in the construction and operation of the Granite Railway that would stimulate the rapid growth of railroads in the 1830's and 1840's. Gridley Bryant, the engineer and projector of the Granite Railway, invented the eight-wheeled car which became the basic design for railroad cars throughout the country. He also invented the turntable, later used in round houses, and the switch and turnout. The Incline in Quincy is a further example of Bryant's genius and one of the few extant remains of the Granite Railway. It was constructed in 1830 to provide access to Pine Hill Quarry. The Railway was constructed on a level plane with a minimum of grade to protect the horses. However, the main quarry could not be reached without overcoming an 84' vertical elevation.

Bryant solved this problem by constructing a 315' long inclined or gravity plane at an angle of 15 degrees. The Incline, like the rest of the road, was built using granite sleepers or ties. The cars were attached in ascent and descent to a chain which controlled their immense weight through a braking device. The Incline operated until the 1940's. It remains today with its original track structure and subsequent improvements as a reminder of the pioneering efforts of the first commercial railroad and further symbolizes the transportation revolution which took place in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Kirkland, Edward Chase. Men, Cities, and Transportation: A Study in New England History, 1820-1900. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1948. 2 vols. Scholes, Robert E. The Granite Railway and ist Associated Enterprises. Mss., Quincy Room, Quincy Public Library, n.p. Stuart, Charles B. Lives and Works of Civil and Military Engineers of America. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1871. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PHOPERTY R OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 42 14 - 44 - 71 12 " NE SE SW APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 10,400 sq.ft. 38 sq.

rods .2 acres ILIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARI5S STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE STATE: CODE COUNTY: STATE: CODE COUNTY: STATE: CODE COUNTY: 6 ECEIVED APR 1 1973 REGISTER CODE OSODE CODE FORMPREPARED BY NAME AND TITLE: Ms. Polly A. Matherly , Historian ORGANIZATION (727-8470) DATE Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: Febzuary 22, 1973 40 Beacon Street CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE 025 Boston STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFICATION Massachusetts NA TIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the c-iteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

The recommended level of significance of this nomination is: ational- State Local Name IhTX Dorran Secretary of the Commonwealth Chairman, Massachusetts Title Historical Commission I hereby certify that this property is included in the Nationa 1 Register. Rotertai Ittlin Director, Oftice of Archooloby and flptoric Preservation Date 6/19/73 ATTEST: Date March 13, 1973 Date Stunay 73 GP0 931-894 - Form 10-300a (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM DATE (Continuation Sheet) STATE Massachusetts COUNTY Norfolk FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER JUN 1 9 1973 (Number all entries) 9. (Bibliography con't). Ringwalt, John I. Development of Transportation Systems in the United States. Philadelphia, 1888. MAPS: Massachusetts Archives, 1830 Map Series.

121 AL15L APR 4 FECENVED 1973 NATIONAL REGISTER TOL GPO 921.724 PROPERTY Uney Dranute KalunpSachuATE Mas WORKING NUMBER 4.473.2211 TECH REVIEW Photos Maps -Norflk CONTROL REVIEW See Letter. 5-3- 13 HISTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN Accept. Aml 5/1073 KH 6/5/23 ARCHEOLOGIST Inventoried byj HDBKC 6/1773 Eud REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BRANCH CHIEF 114/73 KEEPER 61473 National Register write-up Federal Register entry _8-2-23 Send-back Re-submit Entered JUN 1 9 1973 NPS Number 10/15/73 Title: Quisay Geanith Beiwal Loc. FORM 10-301 A (6/72) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM (Type all entries - attach to or en close with photograph) 1. NAME COMMON AND/OR HISTORIC NUMERIC CODE (Assigned by NPS) Quincy Granite Railway Incline JUN 1 9 1973 2.

LOCATION STATE Massachusetts COUNTY Norfolk ITOWN Quincy STREET AND NUMBER Mullin Avenue 3. PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT DATE J. Michael Franceschi 1972 INEGATIVE FILED AT Mass. Historical Commission 40 Beacon St., Boston, Ma. 4. IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. View of Incline and commemorative pillars, taken from the north RECÊiVED APp NATIONAL 1973 REGISTER OL GPO 932-009 ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE HASSACHUSETTS Date Entered JUN 1 9 1973 Name Quiney Granite Railway Incline Location Quincy Horfolk County Also Notified Hon: Edvard: Seooedy Hon. Janes A. Buzke Director, Northeast Region State Iistorie Preservation Officer Hon. John V. &. Davoren Secretary of the Cosmonwealth Chaienan, Massachusetts Historical Conmission 40 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 PHR MOTT: p1 6/29/73