Beaver Dam, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Beaver Dam is a flooded marble quarry
in Cockeysville, MD that has been used as a swimming location since the 1930s. Currently, a 30-acre swim club is located there with two swimming pools, a volleyball court, picnic tables and grills, a creek, and snack house. The 40 foot deep freshwater quarry has floating platforms, two rolling logs, diving and jumping platforms, and a rope swing.
The quarry began operation in the 19th century and much of the labor was that of Irish immigrants using hand drills, hammers and chisels. In 1878, Hugh Sisson acquired the property and began using the latest equipment available: steam powered derricks, shovels, and diamond bit drills. Stone was loaded on wagons and pull by oxen to the nearby rail line in Cockeysville until the site was connected to the rail in 1866. The dolomite
marble
from the quarry was used widely within the eastern United States including Baltimore and D.C.'s Washington monuments.
Beaver Dam has been the site of injuries and drownings, including a prominent incident in 2001.
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
in Cockeysville, MD that has been used as a swimming location since the 1930s. Currently, a 30-acre swim club is located there with two swimming pools, a volleyball court, picnic tables and grills, a creek, and snack house. The 40 foot deep freshwater quarry has floating platforms, two rolling logs, diving and jumping platforms, and a rope swing.
The quarry began operation in the 19th century and much of the labor was that of Irish immigrants using hand drills, hammers and chisels. In 1878, Hugh Sisson acquired the property and began using the latest equipment available: steam powered derricks, shovels, and diamond bit drills. Stone was loaded on wagons and pull by oxen to the nearby rail line in Cockeysville until the site was connected to the rail in 1866. The dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
from the quarry was used widely within the eastern United States including Baltimore and D.C.'s Washington monuments.
Beaver Dam has been the site of injuries and drownings, including a prominent incident in 2001.