This film is presented by the Barre Granite Association; a barre granite guild comprised of Barre-area granite quarries and manufactures of memorials and other granite products. It stars John Forsythe, Susan Jane and Diana Debaun. John Forsythe was a well-known renaissance man whose career spanned six decades. The scene is set in Barre, Vermont and it displays the superiority of the Barre Granite through a narrative of a man named John and a young girl Melissa. The film opens with John Forsythe’s red convertible Jeep moving up the roadway (:49). He pulls into a cemetery (1:39) and begins making a stencil of one of the head stones (3:01). Melissa enters the scene (3:21) as John begins to explain how the monuments which had been made from soft material were beginning to deteriorate (5:57). Headstones made from Barre Granite held up much longer (6:01). John takes Melissa on a ride (6:24) as he details the history of monuments. Valley Forge monuments such as the Peace Monument (8:35) were constructed in Barre granite. Harry Truman’s gravestone (8:42) and the Coal Miner’s Memorial in West Virginia (8:55) are also pointed out to be of Barre granite. A pile of discarded and inadequate granite sits by the roadway (9:26). John and Melissa take a tour conducted by the Rock of Ages Corp (10:16). On the tour they visit a granite quarry and learn about its functionalities (10:55). Workers are lowered into their stations (11:26). Various methods of cutting granite follow including the jet piercing method (11:55). Blocks of granite are lifted (12:55) to be taken to a storage yard or saw plant. John takes Melissa to meet stone cutters and watch how they operate (14:23). One of the men is working on a model of ‘The Holy Family’ (14:58). A 30 ton slab is cut with a diamond saw (16:54). The monuments are polished (17:06). Blueprints of future monuments are highlighted (17:29). Stencils are cut into a rubber shell (18:15). One stone undergoes its first sandblast (18:45). By the second and third cut, the stone develops its shape and form (19:20). The Barre Granite logo is carved into the stone (20:09). John makes a pit stop on route for Melissa’s home (20:31). Here John stops at the cemetery to show which monuments were crafted by Barre Granite (20:53). A symbol showing the deceased was a Free Mason appears (22:45). Another shows the deceased to have been a member of the Catholic Daughters of America (22:51). Grapes and vines are etched into stone (23:54). John delivers Melissa home (25:53) and they agree to meet the following day at Melissa’s great grandfather’s burial plot (26:12). Here he reveals he had the headstone made from Barre granite (27:06). The credit screen follows (28:01) and the film was produced by The Film Group Inc. (28:22).
The Barre Granite Association (BGA) still exists today. It is comprised of Barre-area granite quarriers and manufacturers of memorials and other granite products, as well as other businesses that provide products and services related to the granite industry.
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