Tag Archives: keystone arches

Losing (or finding) our marbles in Canaan, CT

Marjorie Turner Hollman helps authors self-publish their books. She is also a disability advocate, sharing information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and something of interest along the way) in open space. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

Many of us have played with (glass) marbles when we were kids

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My biggest surprise on our outing to western Massachusetts was spotting a large, open marble quarry. Hoping to get a closer look, we took a few wrong turns along the way. After dipping into Connecticut we finally got close enough to view the edge of the excavating operation. Specialty Minerals Inc. in Canaan, Ct. runs the quarry, but you will not find photos of it on their website. A locked gate and massive machinery next to the road prevented us from getting any usable photos, but others have managed. Do an online search for “specialty minerals inc.” and you will find some great pictures by photographers of the white, chiseled hillside.

After leaving the quarry, we stopped in East Canaan, Ct. at a sign for the Beckley Iron Works. It is Connecticut’s only official state Industrial Monument.

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Keystone Arches, Chester, Middlefield, MA

One of several Keystone Arch dry laid stone railroad bridges over the West Branch of the Westfield River

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

Often outdoor walking locations are “hiding in plain sight.” Locals know about what makes a specific place special. There may be a pull off for a good place to explore, but no sign is posted to assure visitors they have found the right location. The Keystone Arch Bridges trail starts in Chester MA and heads into Middlefield and Becket.

Clear signage has now been posted directing would be visitors where to find parking and get views of the dry laid stone railroad bridges that were built in the early 1840s to carry trains over the Westfield River. For background on the history of these bridges, learn more here. Information signs have been recently placed on Middlefield Road, next to Hebert Cross Road in Chester. Parking for about nine cars is available off road just past the sign.

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