Placer County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Holmes, working with the Placer County Parks and Grounds Division, has organized a Community Volunteer Work Day at Griffith Quarry Park in Penryn, which is planned for Saturday, July 19 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This special event will also celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of the Griffith Quarry Museum at noon.
Chairman Holmes hopes residents will assist with the clean up and join in the fun. “Penryn is a very special place to live,” he said. “Help us improve and celebrate this historic centerpiece of our community.”
Volunteers at the Community Work Day will perform such tasks as park clean up, spreading bark and decomposed granite and repairing a split rail fence. Participants should bring tools, sunscreen and gloves. Snacks and lunch will be provided for volunteers.
Located on the site of the historic Griffith Quarry, the park features a number of walking trails through oak woodlands, amidst massive granite boulders.
In 1864 skilled workmen at the quarry site began producing high-quality granite foundations and decorative materials used for famous buildings such as the California State Capitol, Stanford University and Alcatraz, formerly a federal prison.
The Griffith Quarry Museum is housed in what was the office of the Penryn Granite Works, established by Welsh immigrant Griffith Griffith in 1864. Recent improvements include a new roof and paint; a refinished floor; a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; and new shutters for the windows.
The Placer County Museums exhibit team has designed an all new interior that explains the history of Penryn, and focuses on the work of Griffith Griffith, whose business ventures led to creation of the community.
Do you know what granite is made of? Where it comes from? How much a block weighs? New exhibits and interactive displays will explain this and more about how granite was quarried, where it was used and the history of Penryn.
The new displays will also guide you into the park, challenging you to find evidence of the quarry’s remains and tell tale signs of an operation that fell silent nearly 100 years ago.
Volunteers are encouraged to call Andrew Mills, Park Superintendent, at 530-889-6808, to let him know they plan to participate. Griffith Quarry Park is located on the corner where Taylor Road intersects with both Rock Springs Road and English Colony Way in Penryn.