Swenson Granite Company

Founded in 1883, the Swenson Granite Company is one of the enduring industrial stories of Concord. This company helped shape not only the local landscape, but the very monuments and memorials that defined so many towns across New England.

The company’s roots are tied to the rich granite deposits of Rattlesnake Hill, just outside Concord. From these quarries came the fine-grained Concord granite, prized for its strength, durability and subtle beauty. This stone became a defining material for: Public buildings, bridges, cemetery monuments and war memorials.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Swenson Granite was part of a booming industry. Skilled stonecutters, many of them immigrants, transformed raw granite into finished works that would last for generations. The craftsmanship required was immense and the work itself physically demanding.

This granite can be seen not only cemeteries and monuments, as well as important civic architecture. Locally, the New Hampshire State House stands as one of the most recognizable examples of Concord granite. 

There is a connection between Swenson Granite and the Old North Cemetery. Many of the headstones and monuments, including that of President Pierce, are part of the same tradition of New England stonework.

Over time, as large-scale quarrying declined, the company evolved, continuing to produce stone for landscapes, architecture and memorials. The Swenson Granite Company represents local industry, skilled trade and material drawn from the Concord land itself.