250th Anniversary Celebration: Lime Kilns in Eagle Rock
Botetourt 250th Anniversary Celebration: Lime Kilns in Eagle Rock
Five facts this week are from Bonnie Britt concerning the Lime Kilns in the community proper of Eagle Rock. Britt went in too much greater detail than just 5 facts, so here is the whole story! Thank you Bonnie for your tremendous knowledge about the lime kilns. There are folks in Eagle Rock and beyond that maintain the kilns and guard this side bar of Botetourt History for future generations!
On June 1, 1878 French E. Sheets, Adam Rule & Mary his wife, sold one acre of land in the West end of what is now the town of Eagle Rock for the sum of $40.00 to Robert S. Burks, Wilbur F. Goodwin and Joseph B. Buhrman, operating a partnership known as the Eagle Rock Co-Operational Association No. 325 of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. After reading various deeds to the property it seems that the reason for this purchase was for the production of lime.
Some lime was sold to farmers for agricultural needs, some for whitewash, while some was sold to the many furnaces in the area such as “Elizabeth” up Craig Creek,“Rebecca” and “Jane” on Mill Creek, Salisbury. Lime was used in the furnace as a catalystin the making of pig iron. Mule or horse and wagon transported this lime.
Some lime could have been shipped by bateaux coming from Covington to Buchanan and on to the canal packet boats. The expense of constructing a kiln and a covered work area along with the purchase of property for the quarry must have stretched their funds to a maximum. On January 22, 1881 the Co-Operation sold their holdings to Samuel Noffsinger,William B. Carper, French Sheets, Wilbur F. Goodwin, Francis W. Hunter and Robert S. Whitten, all partners trading under the name of F.E. Sheets & Company for the sum of $500.00. Wilbur Goodwin was the only one of the original owners to join the new company.
This group of men must have had enough money to “hold out” for the coming of the railroad,which was completed from Clifton Forge to Richmond on September 21, 1881.
A well established company in Richmond, VA known as The Moore Lime Company must have heard rumors of the hard times of their competitors on the James River so in 1885 they made an offer for the purchase of the holdings of F.E. Sheets & Company. Mr. Sheets had lost a leg in the Civil War, his health was failing him and his money was “running out” so the purchase deal was completed in that year for all holdings except the Company Store which was retained by Sheets, Goodwin, Noffsinger & Whitten. William B. Carper had sold his holdings to Sheets & Company on October 1, 1884 for the sum of $400.00. Francis W. Hunter was not listed in the sale. Moore Lime Company continued to operate the business until 1933 when Virginia Lime Products Company took over the operation and ran it until 1942.
In 1905 the McNamara family of Rockland, Maine opened a successful lime business on the South side of the James River. They added their last kiln in 1917 for a total of 4 for them and a total of 9 kilns for both operations. The McNamara’s named their company, The Eagle Rock Lime Company and in 1942 they purchased the holdings of the Virginia Lime Products Company and continued to operate until 1954 when all lime making operations in Eagle Rock ceased to exist. In all, both companies employed over 100 people.
Sources: Fincastle Courthouse Records, Research by Nadine Rankin and Bonnie Britt and Personal interviews with Burnell Britt & Bill Simmons who worked for the lime company before going into World War II to serve their country.
