Have you ever wondered where the bright red sandstone came
from that built the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall in Washington, DC?
It came from the Seneca quarry, a long-forgotten site in western Montgomery
County, Maryland, right on the Potomac. It is perhaps my most memorable
research discovery in The Potomac River: A History and Guide.
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| The Smithsonian Castle (1847). Photo by Garrett Peck |
The quarry – or rather, quarries (there are six of them) –
are overgrown with brush and trees and almost inaccessible since they shut down
early in the twentieth century. It’s especially remarkable seeing the Seneca
stone cutting mill, built in 1837, which looks like a ruin in the Peruvian
jungle – only it’s bright red. It sits only a few hundred feet from the Seneca
Aqueduct on the C&O Canal, yet most people walk past without ever noticing
it.
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| The Seneca Stone Cutting Mill (1837). Photo by Garrett Peck |
Last week, I took Rebecca Sheir, host of WAMU 88.5 FM’s Metro Connection, out to
the Seneca quarry to show her the site. She recorded our visit, which will play
on Friday, March 30 at 1:00pm – and rebroadcast on Saturday, March 31 at 7:00am. Afterwards it will be posted as a podcast – and you’ll also find an extensive
photo essay, thanks to my friend and professional photographer Tom Espinoza who served as our official
photographer for the outing.
We also met Bob Albiol, the man who restored and lives in
the quarry masters house above the Seneca quarry. He knew a tremendous amount
about the quarry and its operations, and he even told us that an illegal still
operated out of one of the quarries during Prohibition. I’m already planning a
return visit.
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| WAMU's Rebecca Sheir interviews Bob Albiol, who restored and lives in the Seneca Quarry Masters House (1830). Photo by Garrett Peck |
This was my second time on Metro Connection: we did a
segment in 2011 about the bar Dirty Martini in Dupont Circle, which was the
high-end speakeasy the Mayflower Club in the waning days of Prohibition. Click here to listen to
that Prohibition podcast.
I hope you’ll tune in this Friday at 1:00pm to Metro Connection!
Garrett Peck
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