Fort Wayne, IN: Hanson/May Stone and Gravel Quarry

(Satellite)

Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana posted
April Mudrack The quarry is still in use today and is over 400 ft deep last time I knew.
Tom Fuhrman If they ever stop their pumps, it will fill up with water. They used to have sediment ponds to collect the water they pumped out. I lived near by growing up and the blasts would shake our house every night while eating supper.
Russell Mueller Elmhurst highschool was next to it. Originally was May Stone and and Gravel.
Jerry Springer We use to ride our bicycles to the bottom when it was closed on Sundays. Was not fun riding back up from the bottom.
Larry Ickes Anyone remember the rock that was painted like a green frog that sat alongside the road behind the quarry?
Larry Ickes They would do blasting when I was in World History class.

I never knew that Fort Wayne had such a big quarry. I lived on the north side of town, but I did several trips to the airport and still did not realize we had a quarry.

The satellite link above shows where the observation deck is. I'll have to make a side trip the next time I'm in the area. All the quarries I've seen around here have chain-link fences and/or tree lines. That is one advantage of this Fort Wayne area quarry, it seems to be "the quarry," so they make a bigger deal out of it.

Sarah Yeakey commented on the above posting
 I was just there about a month ago. I'd like to see it in action, though.

Jennifer Hartman Lewis commented on the above posting
 My husband lived near the quarry when he was growing up. We just went back to the overlook last weekend.

G Dewey Powell posted
bigger than you remember it?
Steve Trier G Dewey Powell it is not the largest quarry in the country. Not even top ten. Been down in this quarry many times, along with a couple of dozen others. It is one of the deepest though.G Dewey Powell Steve Trier limestone in particular, not just any quarry?Steve Trier Blue limestone maybe.Steve Trier May Sand & Stone originally. Bill May started this as a sand and gravel operation, once they minded through the overburden and hit the limestone shelf, as they say the rest is history. May also had an operation east of New Haven. This ledge of limestone runs from Toledo area towards Lafayette. At one time Bill May wanted to build a tunnel from this site to NE of Fort Wayne ( approximately where I 69 and Dupont road are today) to cut shipping costs and establish another limestone source further north.Dave Bierbaum I lived on the east side of Ft. Wayne all my pre-college life. When I came back from IU to student teach, I was assigned to Elmhurst High School. The first time I stayed after school to correct papers, there was this insanely loud bang at 4 pm.
That was my introduction to the quarry.Steve Trier Yup. They shoot (blast) on a regular basis.Dave Bierbaum But they had to wait until 4. After school hours.Jim Roehm Limestone created over millions of years at the bottom of the ocean.

Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted
Rock Quarry
Fort Wayne Indiana

Roshua Ridelife Richmond commented on the above posting

Jeff Landis posted twelve photos:

1

5

7

8

12

Orange sunset

While studying a truss bridge over the St. Marys River, I discovered there is another large quarry south of town.

Elmhurst H.S. was closed in 2010, and Hanson bought its 28 acres of land. Hanson has decided that the state of disrepair requires it to tear it down rather than try to use it. [FortWaynesNBC] Kenneth Childers added 39 photos of what the school looked like.

Judging from a posting of 13 photos, this quarry is now called Ardmore.