Vermont Granite Museum
- NRHP Name: Jones Brothers Granite Shed
- Address: 720 N Main St, VT 302
- Phone: 802.476.4605
The Jones Brothers Granite Shed, built in 1895, is located between Vermont Route 302 and the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River in Barre, Vermont. It is a good example of a manufacturing plant for granite, one of Vermont's largest exports. The site qualifies for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its contributions to the patterns of Vermont history. The Jones Brothers Company was instrumental in expanding the granite industry in Barre, a city that was recognized internationally as "the granite capital of the world." Barre's success was a direct result the city's extraordinarily large reserve and export of high quality granite, the exceptional skill of her artisans in stone cutting, and early inventions of quarrying and manufacturing equipment. In 1886 Jones Brothers Company became among the first in Barre to establish both quarries and a manufacturing plant. In 1927 it became the first granite company to advertise finished granite monuments nationwide, and, until 1975 was one of the oldest granite manufacturing companies in the country. Jones Brothers incorporated the entire commercial granite process, from the quarrying of stone to the finished product. Guardian Memorials, a well-known name in memorial stones, was established by the Jones Brothers Company in 1925 and remained its hallmark until 1975 when Jones Brothers closed down, and the Guardian trademark was sold to the company of Beck and Beck. Under Criterion C the Jones Brothers Granite Shed qualifies for the National Register for its significance as an important example of industrial architecture. It is one of the earliest examples of the rectangular plan "straight shed" that took advantage of new technology for moving granite afforded by the interior, overhead crane invented by Lane Manufacturing Company in Montpelier, Vermont. The innovative building plan of the straight shed used in conjunction with overhead cranes replaced horseshoe shaped sheds and boom derrick technology. - NRHP