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

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 […]

Early Draw Kilns at the Downing-Bremner Quarries

Set kilns were replaced by larger draw kilns. Draw kilns were made of steel and lined with brick. They measured 25 feet high and 12 feet across. Draw […]

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 […]

Loading Trucks at Gypsum Lime and Alabastine

When other forms of power were applied to “steam shovels” through the advents of gasoline and electricity, they became known as “power shovels.”

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. […]

Diverting the River

The most severe flood recorded along the Thames River occurred in April of 1937. In response to this devastation, Beachville opted to alter the course of the Thames […]

The Aftermath of the Flood

Looking south down the flooded sideroad, this image shows the damage caused to the office and the company homes. John Downing’s family home (later the Beachville Museum) is […]

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. […]