Face it. You love rocks, don’t you? Who doesn’t?
You see magnificent buildings like the Smithsonian Castle, and say, “Man, it’s a great building, but I just wish I knew where the stone came from…”
Well, fear not! Your worries are over, as author Garrett Peck will be answering these questions and more this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Hill Center when he talks about his new book The Smithsonian Castle and the Seneca Quarry.
Even if you’re just a regular history buff, and not some stone fetishist, the book covers broad swaths of our local history with consummate research.
The stories of the original stonecutters provide a fascinating look at the largely African-American and immigrant labors on the site, if perhaps failing to answer the perennial question of “Who rigs every Oscar night?” The quarry gained a brief bit of notoriety in a scandal that while not exactly crippling President Grant, managed to get a glancing shot in; a scandal that is painstakingly explored in its own chapter. And, the book includes a catalog of known Seneca redstone buildings in the area, including at least a few on the Hill.
The event is free, but you are encouraged to register in advance.