Quincy Granite Railway Incline
Also known as: Granite Railway Incline
Why it's listed
At the end of Mullin Avenue in Quincy, about 130 feet of a granite-block railway incline survives among defunct quarries. It was built in 1830 as part of the Granite Railway, which carried stone for the Bunker Hill Monument from Quincy to the Neponset River in Milton. Engineer Gridley Bryant designed the original incline, 315 feet long at a 15-degree angle, to overcome an 84-foot rise blocking access to the Pine Hill quarry. Granite sleepers laid on an excavated and filled bed carried the cars, which were controlled by a chain and braking device. Regulation tracks were laid over it in 1901, and in 1920 steel channels and a steam-powered cable replaced them. The incline worked until the early 1940s. Two commemorative pillars stand at its base. The railway is described as the first commercial use of rails in the United States, and Bryant's inventions there influenced later railroad equipment.
Significance in brief: The incline is one of the few remaining parts of the Granite Railway, described as the first commercial use of rails in the United States. It shows Gridley Bryant's engineering solution to an 84-foot rise using a gravity plane. It also symbolizes the transportation revolution of the mid-nineteenth century.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73000310, listed June 19, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Mullin Ave., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | June 19, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000310 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1826 (specific date listed) |
| Architect / builder | Gridley Bryant (engineer and projector) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Transportation |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; the incline operated until the early 1940s, the top section has been removed, and the plaques on the commemorative pillars were removed by vandals. The site is listed as unoccupied and open to the public. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.24542, -71.03664 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73000310.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.