LIME KILN PARK | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

LIME KILN PARK

Architecture and History Inventory
LIME KILN PARK | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:Garwin Mace Lime Kilns
Other Name:LIME KILNS
Contributing:
Reference Number:8077
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):LIME KILN PARK
County:Waukesha
City:Menomonee Falls
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1890
Additions:
Survey Date:1979
Historic Use:lime kiln
Architectural Style:NA (unknown or not a building)
Structural System:
Wall Material:Limestone
Architect:
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: Mace, Garwin, Lime Kilns
National Register Listing Date:3/12/1982
State Register Listing Date:1/1/1989
National Register Multiple Property Name:Lime Kilns of Waukesha County
NOTES
Additional Information:A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation.

ALSO MAPPED ON FALLS ON VILLAGE MAP WITH MAP CODE A

Scattered lime kilns survive in Waukesha County, reminding us of a once-thriving industry. A limestone quarry opened here in 1838, and lime production began soon after. Workers heated limestone to about nine hundred degrees, yielding a powdery calcium-oxide residue. They then mixed this lime with sand and water to make mortar for masonry buildings.

Vertical-shaft kilns were common to commercial operations, since they could be loaded, burned, and drawn continuously. Workers shoveled limestone into the shafts at the tops of the kilns and lit fireboxes of cordwood set into the walls. Once the firing was finished, the workers removed the lime through the drawholes.

These three kilns, built by Garwin Mace, date from 1890. Each rectangular kiln, made of rough limestone blocks, has two round vertical shafts lined with firebrick below and iron rings toward the top. Round-arched drawholes (reconstructed in brick for stabilization) pierce the bottom of each structure on all sides. The horizontal bands of wood have been added to stabilize the structure, and a rubber membrane over the top keeps water out.
Bibliographic References:WAUKESHA FREEMAN, APRIL 23, 1891 Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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