Wisconsin's Lime Industry Historical Marker
N 42° 56.677 W 088° 01.456
16T E 416438 N 4755173
Wisconsin's Lime Industry Historical Marker at the Trimborn Farm Historic site at 8801 Grange Ave in Greendale, WI
Waymark Code: WM2214
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 08/22/2007
Views: 23
"Lime production was an important nineteenth century industry in southeastern Wisconsin, primarily because the region's geology provided abundant Silurian dolomite rock that was easily quarried. High quality lime, used mainly in mortar and plaster, was produced by burning dolomite in wood-fire stone kilns. Over one million barrels of lime were produced annually in the 1880s, some shipped to surrounding states. Many of the lime manufacturers also quarried limestone used in building construction and praised for its beauty and durability.
The limeworks of Trimborn Farm Park and nearby quarries represent a relatively unaltered nineteenth century example of the lime industry. Werner Trimborn began his lime business here in 1851, and it became one of the largest in Milwaukee County. The lime industry expanded with the construction boom in Milwaukee in the 1880s but then declined, ending about 1900 due to increased fuel costs and importation of new building materials. By then, dairying had become the main business of Trimborn Farms.
The Trimborn barn and kilns and neighboring Jeremiah Curtin House remain as excellent example of the use of local stone and lime.
Erected 1986"
County: Milwaukee
Location: Historical Center
MarkerID: 279
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