By Adam Marcinkowski

Barre, VT, once an affluent hub of granite exportation, has experienced a dramatic decline in prosperity. Home to an industry that once employed thousands of workers spread between more than sixty manufacturing firms, the Barre Granite Association has dwindled to just over five hundred employees in two dozen firms. The effects of these labor cuts can be observed within the city limits of Barre, which has since fallen into dramatic decay. The downtown and surrounding suburbs are scattered with many rundown storefronts and homes in need of repair. The town is also known to have a severe problem with drugs and poverty.  Adam Marcinkowski explores the history of the Barre Granite Industry and attempts to determine key factors that helped initiated this shift in economic standing.