Maine Granite Industry Historical Society Museum

GO HERE!! It is SO worthwhile - our group of friends in our mid/late 20s all stopped by and truly enjoyed every moment. Mr. Haynes gave us a fantastic tour, enlightened us on the history of Maine and its quarry industry, and even gave us souvenir pieces of granite. He does a lot of field trips so he’s so great with kids! It has easy parking, it’s free/donation-based, and you can check off a box in your junior ranger booklet! Definitely recommend for all ages - let’s keep this place and its history alive!

We had some time to kill on a rainy day and we were interested in this museum after seeing a lot of the beautiful granites on MDI during our hikes around Acadia. We walked in right at the beginning of Steve’s fantastic presentation of the geologic and human history of the region; his passion for the rocks, the stone working process, and the preservation of history related to the industry is incredible. We really enjoyed exploring the specimens he’s collected on his travels and had a really nice conversation with him about some of the places we’ve been.

Being a rock nerd, I knew I would enjoy this place, but I think anyone who appreciates the intersection of local natural and human history (especially when it’s curated by such passionate people) would enjoy spending an hour or two here.

This place ROCKS! It is really HARD not to like it. It’s so easy to get lost in your own mind when you’re there. This place is just down the road, so it’s easy for us to take it for granite.
Ok, ok, seriously. Writing a review is tough when two kids are chiming in. Took them on Friday to learn how to polish stones. And then we couldn’t help but to go back Saturday.
Steve is an amazing museum curator. Totally passionate, knowledgeable and kind. He spent a massive amount of time with my nephews, teaching, and encouraging, and giving them access to tools for a project. He then helped them make their newly polished stones into necklaces. He was super patient, and even stayed late on an incredibly hot day to help them finish.
We also learned how to split stone with a feather and wedge. Steve helped them with safety, and technique. He managed multiple visitors, shifting his attention between, and offering different learning opportunities based on interest levels. For the group that was there at the same time, he gave a history lesson of quarries on the island. It doesn’t matter what age you are, there’s something for everyone!
A perfect visit for a rainy day, or anyone with a desire to understand the world around them.
By donation. And if folks donate based on value, Steve will fund his nonprofit for years to come.

This museum had an amazing amount of historical information regarding the granite industry in Maine. The gentleman who ran/owned it seems like he does this out of his love and pride for the granite workers. Very knowledgeable! It made our minds blown how much physical and mental labors were needed and how intelligent the workers were!

This is a small and unassuming museum. But don't be fooled. Steven L. Haynes and the stories told inside are a national treasure and hidden gem! Steven is a vibrant and passionate expert on the geology of Maine and the building of America. Not to be missed. Great for elementary, middle school, teenage kiddos, and adults. Our entire family enjoyed our time there and learned a great deal. Make a donation and purchase the book, "Guide to the Geology of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park."

This museum experience was just awesome. Don't pass this up. The curator is knowledgeable and friendly. We learned so much and my boys had a great time. .

Very interesting museum about the geology of MDI and the industry of quarrying granite.

Highly recommend if you have any interest in either. I thought we would be there for <30 minutes but we were there upwards of an hour and a half while the founder gave us detailed information about everything.

An amazing experience! The museum curator was very knowledgeable and passionate and made our visit memorable. I highly recommend for children and adults that enjoy history and geology.

Steven is vastly knowledgeable on many thing's geological, mechanical and regional. We were lucky to receive his undivided attention. We got to see where he can polish granite spheres too. Afterwards we hiked along Sommes Sound with a new appreciation for the area.

Steve was wonderful!! His passion for geology, granite formation process, granite polishing process is immense! He explained the entire process for 20-25 min with incredible passion, enough to create a liking for the subject! He showed us a lot of granite specimens and gave us kits with granites from diff times/ color pigments! What a souvenir for the kids!! Must visit, should be a starting point just like the NP visitor centers to gain awareness and appreciation for the granite rock formations in and around Maine!! Museum entry is free but donations are welcome as they help run the museum! Don't miss buying (as donation) a Maine granite pendent on elastic thread! Thanks Steve!!

How great can a granite museum be???

We came to this place on the strong recommendation of friends. They said the history was interesting, but that Steve made the experience something you couldn't find anywhere else. They. Were. Right.

We met friends there at 1 PM and I figured we'd be gone by 1:15/1:30 tops. I was so mesmerized by this guy, his stories, and the place as a whole that the next time I looked at my watch it was almost 3 PM.

We also found ourselves making a purchase we'd never expect to have made - a granite clock and granite drink coasters - all local, and complete with their written history to go.

This place is a *must* - rainy or sunny (we went on a sunny day after a hike!)

Truly a MUST DO if in the area. Mr. Haynes is a national treasure because of his efforts in preserving the history of quarrying granite in this beautiful country. It is tragic losing our heritage. Mr. Haynes is doing everything humanly possible to avoid this tragedy.

Very under sold museum. The proprietor knows so much about Maines historic granite industry. He and the facility is a definite must see if you are interested in Maine and Northeast stone quarry industry and the tools and people who got it done. He runs on donations so be generous.

Low key, small museum, created and manahes with love! The maps of and samples from every quarry in Maine are so cool. Doesn't take a long time to go through if you're only casually interested in granite. Entrance free, donations accepted.

If you love the history of how our country was built, the people, the machines, the tools and how we have lost the art of labour from our hands - Steven will share his life experience and bring to story forward. He has an amazing passion for sharing the tales of quarry work and has amassed a collection of artifacts, papers, blueprints and pictures to share with all interested. He is easy to engage and attentive to all questions. This was a visit of a lifetime for a granddaughter of a stone cutter. Museum is supported on donations.

Fantastic when someone passionate about the earth and the people who work it is willing to patiently walk someone through the exhibits. It was interesting to see examples of granite from the different eruptions of the MDI supervolcano and see how the Maine coast was stitched to North America over time.

Extremely specific homebrew local museum devoted to granite, and the people who quarried it and transported it and carved it and the places it was used. It's totally handmade and absolutely amazing, a real delight- one of those places where you know the guy running it has a real passion and knows the subject in depth. The whole thing feels like a massive college level science fair project by a highly specific genius about local granite and its industry; it isn't a fancy place, which suits the subject: granite work was rough and the warehouse, working feel of the museum is perfect.

You can learn an extraordinary amount very quickly but you also realize how much you don't know, how just more depth there is to learn, and it's amazing.

Excellent, steve was wonderful and very knowledgeable. Fun, fun if you like granite and history

Lots of neat old photos and tools. Very informative and comprehensive experience of Maine's geological history and quarry culture. Enthusiastic staff, A+

Very informative, I didn't know what to expect but I'm glad to know more about the granite quarries. I'm not from Maine so a lot of this is brand new to me. Glad we stopped!