Hurst Lime Kiln
N 42° 05.800 W 090° 40.944
15T E 691652 N 4663108
Kiln remains are located north of Maquoketa, Iowa.
Waymark Code: WMJZY
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 08/02/2006
Views: 90
The Hurst Lime Kiln produced lime morter from local stone quarrys. Lime morter was used in building foundations, brick walls, and finish cover on walls. Building the 1st kiln started around 1870 and 3 more were added as production demands increased. At its peak, the kilns were producing 100 barrels of lime per day. The kilns stopped production around 1920 when portland cement became the common construction material.
During maximum production, the kilns used 100 cords of wood per day. A cord of wood is a 4'X 4'X 8'stack of various size diameter pieces of wood.
I chose this site because I remember a time when the kilns could hardly be seen due to tree and shrub growth. Then a group of people started refurbishing it. Now, it's a fantastic place to visit and learn about how things were done in the past.