The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-05-12
FOUNDED cITY's INDUSTRY.
John S. Collins, who Started Business
in 1865, Celebrates soth Birthday.

The man who saw Barre's granite in
dustry IN its infancy, in fact, who was
a founder of the city's industry, observed
his s9th birthday yesterday. lie is John
Is. Collins of ) Hill street 1t was IN
1865. or shortly after his discharge from
the Union army after serving four years
in the Civil war that Mr.. Collins came
to Barre and il was shortly after that
time that he began stonecutting, ater
starting manufacturing plant Few
feet away from his present home ana
there laying the foundation for the IN
dustry which has fiourshed until 1t EN-
ploys several thousand men and sends
its unequaled product all over the world.
Rightly enough, therefore, Mr.. Collins
has reason to wonder at the tremendous
progress made from the modest little be-
ginning he made at the small shop Nn
Hill st. Beside that shop now runs the
track over which pass each week about
two hundred carloads of rough Barre
granite from the famed deposits on Mill
stone hill to be fashioned into beautl-
ful monuments or to grace city streets
with imposing facades. To realize that
he is responsible in large measure for
such a great enterprise is wonder enough
for that still active ole gentleman who
started manufacturing in 1868.
In spite of his years 'uncle John
Collins. as he is known to many peo-
ple of Barre watches Barre's continued
progress with marked interest lie y
still in comparatively good health; reads
without glasses; looks after several tene-
ments that he rents raises nice gar
den each year and yet finds time to walk
to the center of the city in all kinds
of weather several times day, stop
ping to chat with old acquaintance or
to transact business as he may be called
upon to do. On the occasion OF his birth
day Yesterday he went to the home OF
his niece Mrs. c. +. Smith. OF Patter-
son street, and passed good part OF
the day.
Although Mr.. Collins bears the distlnc-
tion OF being the first manufactures OF
granite in the city, the working OF Barre
granite runs back many years prior TO
his small beginning in the city. Ihomp-
sons Gazetteer of Vermont, which was
published in 1924, records that the hills
near Barre were said to afford ''inex-
haustible auarries of excellent granite,
used for buildings, and wrought into
millstones to be transported to different
parts OF the state. New York and Can
ada adding that "by means OF drills,
the stone may be split into any shape
required
Robert Parker is said to have been
the first man to work Barre granite. lie
was a soldier of the American ReyoIu-
tion. He. with Thomas Conner, is said
to have opened the first quarry in town,
the Wheaton quarry, and furthermore,
lis said to have been the first manu-
facturer in the old town of Barre. Hewitt
l& Parker were other early manufactur-
ers i'm the town, the partners being r.
Hewitt and J. Parker, the former OF
whom was father-in-law Of Emory L,
Smith. who in turn, was one OF the
pioneers in the manufacturing business
in what il now the city. he start
ing in the next wear after John ,. Coi-
lIins did and being, therefore, next to
the oldest living manufacturer, although
much Younger than MIR. Collins.
One OF the first large monuments to be
cut in Barre granite was the Ethan Al
len monument. which, including the sta Z
tue. was so feet high. This was erected
in 1857 for 50 900 and is said to have
been cut at a loss to the builder. Ira
Harrington. Since that time countless
monuments have been turned out from
Barre. most of them probably with
greater financial success than that which
attended Harrington's efforts with the
Ethan Allen memorial.