Brownstone Quarry, Portland, CT

This place is just a hop, skip and a jump – literally!..
from where we live.. can’t believe we’ve never been before…
What a great place to take the kids for a day of water fun.

Our Quarry Crew 🙂

You can rent the gasebos for the day for a fee..
They have picnic tables and benches on each one.. a floating “home base”
for your group. I love the idea…
wish we had known that before the day was half over.

A tip:  Bring your own food.. it’s allowed.. and it’s much healthier and
more affordable!!  Cheeseburgers were small and  cost $5.75.
to give you an idea.
We went yesterday ( Monday) – not crowded.
I hear the weekends are mobbed. 

Who’s gonna jump in first?
In some places the quarry is 100 feet deep!

There are walls to scale…

..and then a big jump if you’re so inclined…

Trampolines and pyramids, slides and walk-on-water balls…

Most exciting of all are the zip lines…..
You start way up there….
These are our three big kids….
And skid into the water…

You can bet these kids are still sleeping this morning.
For information on visiting the park … click HERE
A little history on the quarry itself…
The Portland Brownstone Quarries are a set of historic quarries in Portland, Connecticut. The brownstone mined from these quarries was an important source for construction in the latter half of the 19th century. The stone from these quarries was used in a number of landmark buildings in Chicago, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, New Haven, Connecticut, and Hartford, Connecticut.

Quarrying on this site began in 1690.  Commercial quarrying started in 1783 when the Brainerd Quarry Company began operations. During the peak of the brownstone era, more than 1500 workers were employed by the quarries, which shipped stone on their own ships for eight months out of the year.
Proceeds from the quarrying business were deeded to Wesleyan University from 1833 through 1884, and stone from the quarries was used to build many campus buildings.  As tastes in buildings shifted, and concrete became the material of choice, the demand for brownstone declined. A flood in 1936 and a hurricane in 1938 flooded the quarries, ending their operations. All efforts to drain the flooded quarries have been unsuccessful; one theory is that the floods opened some underground springs, making it impossible to effectively drain the quarries.
The town purchased the historic quarries and 42 acres (170,000 m2) of adjacent land in 1999 and 2000.
They’ve been leased for development as a recreation center and are currently being operated by Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, with the hope that awareness of the historic landmark will strengthen the local economy.



25 thoughts on “Brownstone Quarry, Portland, CT”

  1. What a great way to reuse a quarry. I have not heard of this before. We have many old sites like this in Indiana, but have obviously not had any hurricaines to flood them. Happy to see one still being enjoyed!

  4. Looks like a very cool place!!! I didn't know about it either! So how come I don't see you zip lining right into that water??!! Aren't you a thrill seeker type? LOL

  5. I can't believe the quarry was in your backyard all this while, and you guys didn't know it. Kudos on your discovery, and I'm willing to be you'll be there often.

  8. Wow that looks like a great place to take your family! !! Glad you had such a great time! Have a great day

  16. What a fun, fun place to visit. I am glad to see that people wear life jackets-especially in a quarry that is that deep. I am betting you will go back soon and take you OWN lunch! xo Diana

  18. This looks like such a blast! Too bad my grandchildren are too young…I hope it is still around when they are older!

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