The Sandy Bay Historical Society is thrilled to announce the installation of a new diorama depicting the excavation of granite at Flat Ledge Quarry and the Upper Pit (Carson’s) circa 1905 at the Old Castle. Created over a seven-year period, the diorama was donated to the museum by Scott Jewell, a lifelong model railroader and historian who also teaches Technology Arts at Ipswich Middle School. He began building the diorama in the spring of 2010 and completed it in 2017. The diorama consists of four 8’ x 4’ sections and is built to one-quarter scale. Prior to its construction, Mr. Jewell spent five years researching the granite industry, combing through photographs and records at the Sandy Bay Historical Society, and searching the site to determine the exact location of buildings and other structures that stood there in 1905. Visitors to the Old Castle will be able to get an accurate picture of exactly what Flat Ledge and Carson’s looked like over a hundred years ago, even down to scale blocks of granite directly from the site. Mr. Jewell is also in the process of creating a documentary film to accompany the exhibit. Thanks to Mr. Jewell’s hard work and generosity, visitors will now be able to understand more fully than ever the important role of the granite industry on Cape Ann.
