The Stonewall quarry and kilns were established in the 1880s. The century-old kilns, which are slowly beginning to crumble due to the effects of repeated frost heave, resemble a medieval castle. However this brick structure was not used for crushing enemy combatants in some far distant time, but instead, it processed crushed limestone.
Just like castles of old, kilns have a long history. These thermally insulated chambers have been used for the past couple of millennia for hardening and drying stones or clay, usually bricks or pottery. Limestone kilns are used to create a type of lime called quicklime. Scientifically it turns calcium carbonate into calcium oxide. Additionally, mixing quicklime with water turns the calcium oxide into calcium hydroxide.
The Kilns in stonewall were filled with limestone by the use of a steam-powered derrick(lifting device) which dumped rocks into the top of the kilns. Wood fires were used to heat the limestone. The quicklime that was produced in Stonewall was mainly used in plaster because of its white colour. However, it also had other uses, like disinfecting barns and outhouses.
At its peak, the stonewall kilns could produce 10 tonnes of quicklime per day. The limestone reserves in Stonewall were depleted in 1967 and commercial quarrying commenced at this time.
