The New England Granite Works
The Rhode Island Granite Works located adjacent to the Smith Granite Company on Ledward Avenue was a subsidiary of the Hartford based New England Granite Works. Monuments may be attributed to either of these companies. James Batterson, president of the New England Granite Works, was a well-connected businessman. He knew the “movers and shakers” of the time and was in a position to bid successfully on large contracts. The hallmark of the work of the New England Granite Works was grandiose scale. Just five monuments ( the Antietam Soldier [$32,000], the National Soldiers Monument in Gettysburg [$50,000], the Detroit MI [$70,000], the Worcester, MA [$35,000]and the Providence RI [$60,000] monuments) represents contracts of $247,000.
