Patrick Leahy: “I have been honored that Vermonters have sent me here to the U.S. Senate to represent them for many years. In turn, I…”

“I have been honored that Vermonters have sent me here to the U.S. Senate to represent them for many years. In turn, I always welcome the opportunity to recognize the commitments, achievements, and successes of Vermonters and the industries found in the Green Mountain State. Today, I want to highlight the granite center of the world--not Italy, China, or Brazil--but Barre, a small town of just over 8,500 year-round residents nestled among the Green Mountains in central Vermont. It was 350 million years ago when geologic processes created a unique granite formation 10 miles deep, 4 miles long, and 2 miles wide in the heart of present-day Barre. This extraordinary formation is now home to the world's largest deep-hole granite quarry that produces a form of granite called ``Barre Gray.'' Known around the world as the finest quality gray granite on the market, Barre Gray has been an economic engine and tourist attraction in central Vermont since the first quarry opened in the 19th century. Barre Gray is renowned by fine architects, builders, and sculpture artists in every corner of the world and is just another example of the exports coming from Vermont and extracted by Vermonters. The granite industry in Barre has brought jobs and economic opportunity to thousands of Vermonters over the years, including many immigrants. Like my grandparents, many people came to Vermont from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries in search of a better life.…”