
rock and stroll - View this location on map ![]() 'get a first lesson in local stone culture in dente park in barre, at the feet of a 23-foot-tall monument of a sculptor, below, created from local granite in 1985 as a tribute to the italian immigrants who did their part in local quarrying and carving. the sculptor wears a cap and an apron and holds a hammer and a chisel, traditional tools in barre, which still has dozens of stone-cutting, carving and sand-blasting businesses. today, much of the town's fine gray granite goes into gravestones, and some goes to countertops and floors. barre carvers also work in stone from out of town; they helped shape the vietnam memorial from indian black granite and the arched pavilions of the national world war ii memorial from coral-pink south carolina granite. about a mile away is another group's symbol of pride, a sculpture of robert burns unveiled in 1899 by the local scottish community. as you walk from the park to the poet, be sure to take a look at barre's late 19th-century opera house ( 802-476-8188), a restored italianate granite gem.'' New York Times 6 north main street, Barre, VT Cultural |