Carving Corporate Modernity: The Remarkable Story of How Beebe Granite Workers Helped Build One of Montreal’s Most Famous Landmarks

By T. A. Chénier

Tiffany Chénier volunteers with the Eastern Townships Resource Centre. This article is derived from the now-transcribed oral histories captured by Daniel McKeage and housed in the Townshippers’ Association fonds (P038) at the Eastern Townships Resource Centre.

During the warm summer of 1984, one teenager and a handful of retired granite miners found themselves in a fishing boat. What brought them there was no ordinary trip but rather that the young summer student, Daniel McKeage, was hired to capture a moment in history. The Townships, in an era of increased discussion of linguistic rights, were faced with the loss of the lived-anglophone history. In response, McKeage’s job was, in theory, simple: find retired Beebe granite workers and interview them about their lives.

While nautical adventures were clearly not what he expected as a condition to meeting some of these men, Mr. McKeage was, eventually, returned to land. And, as any good student would do, he came prepared with questions for each of his unmistakably eager subjects, with their recorded answers taking them into conversations neither could have anticipated. Yet, one of his questions, asked over and over, came back with a surprising response. All interviewees agreed that the Great Depression of 1929 didn’t come to the granite industry in Beebe until 1931-2. Why you might ask? The SunLife Building in Montreal.

The economic boom the decade prior had given these large corporations the disposable income to be able to afford to build on these grand feats of architecture. But such grandeur demanded the labour to make it a reality. Not yet met with the innovative tools that were present by the 1980s, the industry in Beebe had employed a large portion of skilled men like blacksmiths, who helped ensure the upkeep of tools vital to their granite operations. However, by the time of these interviews, blacksmiths had largely been replaced by new innovative implements such as carbide-tipped drills, where previously crafted tools were switched out with cheaply manufactured parts, rendering them, and their labour, nearly obsolete in the eyes of many.

While the SunLife’s construction took place over the course of many decades, it seemingly saw no expense spared with new specialised technology introduced to the shop floors to help speed up the process. This specialisation was not reserved for machines. One owner, Mr. McIntosh, was credited with sponsoring the migration of over ten skilled men from Scotland, notorious for their knowledge of granite, for the project. These good times, nevertheless, came to a grinding halt at the completion of the building, when these same workers were met with mass layoffs and little work in the area.

This is not to say that this trying time was without its fun. The interviewees were clear to highlight that point. With Charles Bullock, stating “[W]e never had as much fun in our whole lives as we did during the Depression,” as he and his peers formed an almost-decade-long travelling orchestra until they returned to work. As employment picked up, the nature of the industry allowed many of these same men to be rehired by these same employers. This same sense of community, present amongst these workers, can be credited with making these interviews possible and now, even in 2026, cause us to reflect on the technological strides made not only in mining but in capturing history before it’s gone.

If you are interested in learning more about the granite industry or about the Townshippers’ Association, please contact the ETRC Archives.