Industrial Archives | Bedrock of Beachville: The History of Our Limestone Quarries

Quarry Drillers

The image on the left depicts two anonymous men surrounded by stones, wearing overalls, gloves and hats and holding large electric drills. The image on the right depicts […]

North American Cyanamid Workers

A group of workers pose together outside of North American Cyanamid in the early 1950s.

Dynamite Crates

In Ontario’s historic industrial landscape, dynamite crates played a crucial role in transportation, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These crates, crafted with sturdy wood […]

Drilling Rig at Beachville White Lime

This image shows a cable forage rig at the Beachville White Lime Quarry in 1928. The hauler holds the end of the forage rod as it rises to […]

Beachville White Lime

This image compares to the photograph of the early quarry pit mined by Cole & Hacker. Notice how much deeper the pits were dug in 1923 at Beachville […]

Later Rotary Kilns

During the 1950s, the vertical drums of the shaft kilns were turned on their sides and inclined; the rotary kiln was introduced. By 1960, rotary kilns were installed […]

Vertical Shaft Kilns

This image depicts four tall black cylindrical structures attached by a tramway expelling smoke. By 1960, this Gypsum site became a division of Dominion Tar & Chemical Co. […]

Water Channels

In this image, water is being pumped from a quarry pit. In contemporary quarrying practices networks of internal channels manage water flow. These systems are responsible for directing […]

On Route to the Kilns

In this image, the draw kilns are visible on the left side. The gentleman manually pulls the cart up the ramp to the kilns along a cable.

The Crusher on the Edge of the Pit

This image depicts the tramway, a ramp with a track running up it. Stones were carted up from the quarry pit to a building on the pit’s edge. […]

Smoke Clouds

Beachville residents were concerned with rising dust levels and its relation to air quality. The image below depicts smoke clouds obscuring buildings and conveyor belts at the Beachville […]

The West Plant Facilities

The shaft kilns at the West Plant facilities now operating under Carmeuse. This site was formerly Gypsum Lime.