Description: The Sackville or "Pickard" quarry, is situated on the western edge of the Town of Sackville, Westmorland County, southeastern New Brunswick. The sandstone at this quarry, is commonly referred to as the "Sackville red sandstone". Geologically it is part of the Late Carboniferous Richibucto Formation (Pictou Group), a sequence of grey to minor greyish to brownish red, sandstone, pebbly sandstone and conglomerate, often interstratified with red and minor grey very fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and rare, lacustrine limestone (Johnson, 2005). The Sackville sandstone is typically, medium grained and mostly massive, displaying an attractive weak red colour (2.5YR 5/2.5 to/3, Munsell Chart). It is composed of quartz, minor feldspar, and traces of a minute dark mineral(s) presumed to be some form of iron oxide. The cementing medium is mainly silica. Blocks are separated by horizontal joints spaced 0.5 to 1.2 m apart, and near vertical joint sets, almost at fight angles to each other, spaced generally more than 1 m apart. The resulting joint geometry often yielded 1.2 m3 blocks (1 x 0.8 x 1.5 m block size) (Geosleuths 1995). The following are determinations of the samples iron content : Ferrous oxide, 1.9%: Ferric oxide,4.2%
The quarry can be accessed by following an extension of a street referred to as Quarry Lane and is within 300 m of the Mount Allison University campus. Having become a victim of urban development, the site is no longer used, partially water-filled and reclaimed by natural vegetation. Only scattered remnants of former excavation remains as testament to former quarry operations. At one time the Sackville quarry was regarded as one of the most important producers of building stone in the Maritime Provinces (Parks 1914). It was most active from 1883 to the early 1940s. After this time it operated more sporadically until 1979 when protests by neighbouring homeowners resulted in its permanent closure. The excavation covers approximately 18 ha and reached a depth of approximately 12 m. More than 40,000 cubic metres stone had been removed from the quarry. The sandstone beds, buried beneath 3 to 5 m of overburden, dip 5 to 10° north. This allows for exploration along strike to the west but the proximity of housing makes it unlikely that permission to excavate could be obtained from local planning authorities.
Martin ( 1990 ) provides an interesting anecdotal history of the Sackville or Pickard Quarry as follows. "Visitors to Mount Allison University in Sackville often remark on its many sandstone buildings. In almost every instance, the stone came from the red sandstone quarry located less than a mile west of campus.
[The] Sackville quarry is first mentioned in an 1885 report and was opened around 1883 to obtain stone for Centennial College Hall. Its original proprietor, Charles Pickard, was a local stone merchant and later the town mayor. After incorporating the Sackville Free Stone Company (Limited) with four other Maritime businessmen on 4 June 1901, Pickard methodically turned the venture into an efficient, and modern quarry business.
Pickard's success stemmed only partly from having a captive market - i.e., Mount Allison campus - next door. More importantly, he spared no expense in obtaining [one of the most] sophisticated stone operation's] in the province. It possessed four steam derricks, two electrical gang saws and two steam drills. The mill lay close to the quarry to minimize handling, and was connected by a spur line to the Tormentine branch of the Intercolonial Railway. Its twenty-five employees produced 5,000 to 8,000 tons of stone annually, all of which became dimension stone.
The excellent quality of Pickard's stone and his equally excellent business enabled him to secure markets across eastern Canada. In some instances, Sackville stone was selected over material from quarries in Ohio and Indiana -and this, despite the enormous transportation and other price advantages held by the American operations. Architects from Ontario and the Maritimes used the stone for numerous prominent buildings, e.g.: Royal Bank, Sackville; Bank of Montreal, Moncton; Royal Observatory, Ottawa; Bank of Nova Scotia, Truro; Carnegie Library, Saint John; Legislative Building, Toronto; Customs House, Waterloo; [and] Customs House, Halifax.
Besides satisfying out-of-province markets, Pickard quarry supplied stone for many structures in Sackville, nearly a dozen of which appear on Mount Allison campus alone. Some Moncton buildings also display Pickard stone, the First United Baptist, Church, Central United Church and Higgins Block being fine examples.
After Charles Pickard's death, operations continued until 1930 when Mount Allison University bought the quarry property and plant. Mount Allison officials intended to work the quarry only to supply stone for new university buildings or restoration purposes. In 1971, however, they agreed to provide material for restoring the Ontario Legislative Building that had been made of Sackville stone in 1892.
The Legislative Building was almost the last construction project completed with Pickard stone. By the 1970s, what once had been the outskirts of town had become populated by homeowners who opposed the noise and dust of quarry operations. Authorities gave Smith Cut Stone & Quarries Ltd. of Shediac permission to make a final sweep of the quarry before ordering it dosed in October 1979 (The stone acquired at this time subsequently became part of Mount Allison's Roy Crabtree Building). The quarry is now fenced in, filled with water and surrounded by an extensive raspberry patch". |