Audio Postcard: Isle La Motte

The Grand Isle County town of Isle La Motte is the site of what’s believed to be the oldest coral reef in the world, dating back four hundred million years. Today tourists and archaeologists are drawn to the fossils preserved in the reef. But 200 years ago, the reef was quarried for its limestone. Rock taken from the Isle La Motte quarries was used in Radio City Music Hall and for the floor of the State House in Montpelier. It was also used to construct buildings all over Vermont, New York and Canada. Today, one of the largest concentrations of stone structures remains in Isle La Motte. VPR’s Steve Zind caught up with long time islands resident John Duffy who gave us a tour of Isle La Motte and filled us in on its history as a quarry town.