Seneca Quarry (1781-1901)

In 1781, Scottish immigrant and tobacco merchant Robert Peter (1726-1806) purchased the land for this quarry. Over nearly a century, the Peter family built sandstone and marble quarries along the Potomac River. The construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, built partially of stone from this quarry, made transporting the stone much easier, and also facilitated the polishing and cutting of stone. The red sandstone from this location is softer when quarried but hardens, making it resistant to damage.

The Peter family grew very wealthy. Peter's son Thomas Peter built the famous Tudor Palace mansion in Georgetown, as well as a country house near the quarry, and his son John Parke Custis Peter (1799-1848) was key in connecting the quarry to the construction of important buildings in Washington, DC.

When Custis Peter submitted a low bid to supply stone for the Smithsonian Castle in 1846, it was the beginning of a trend in using red sandstone in prominent capital architecture. The Smithsonian castle was built between 1847 and 1855; architect James Renwick visited the quarry personally to select the stones he wanted to use. Renwick also used red sandstone for the trim of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the chapel of the Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown.

Workers at Seneca Quarry included both enslaved individuals and freedmen. Immigrants from England, Wales, and Ireland also worked here.

The Peter family's financial trouble after the Civil War led to them selling the quarry for $70,000 to Seneca Sandstone Company in 1866. Scandal and poor management plagued the company, and it went bankrupt ten years later. Two other firms operated the quarry between 1876 and 1901, when it closed. By the turn of the century, sandstone was no longer architecturally fashionable, and the quality of the stone left in this quarry had also declined.

The former quarry now lies within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Historic Park. It is overgrown, but the ruins of the stone cutting mill's walls are distinguishable, as are the cemetery and restored quarry master's house. The National Register of Historic Places recognized the site in 1972 and the Historic American Buildings Survey documented the stone-cutting building around that time as well.

DeFerrari, John. Romancing the Stones, Streets of Washington. February 25th 2013. Accessed September 10th 2020. http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2013/02/romancing-stones-charting-seneca.html.

Dunnell, Tony. Seneca Quarry, Atlas Obscura. Accessed September 10th 2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/seneca-quarry.

Miller, Nancy. Seneca Quarry, National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form. September 26th 1972. Accessed September 10th 2020. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-159.pdf.