Stonecutters known for quarrying marble in Carrara, Italy immigrated to Hallowell to work in Maine’s granite industry, starting in the 1870s. Immigrants from many countries worked in Maine quarries, and by 1901, American and immigrant stoneworkers numbered over 3,500 people in 152 quarries across Maine.

Skilled carvers turned Maine granite into varied shapes, including statues, buildings, bridges, headstones, cellars, and pavers. Situated on the Kennebec River, granite quarried in Hallowell is light gray and known for its fine-grained texture. Because Hallowell granite resembles marble when polished, companies there specialized in statues, perhaps explaining why trained Italian carvers gravitated to Hallowell more than any other quarry in Maine.