Landscape Archives | Page 3 of 4 | Bedrock of Beachville: The History of Our Limestone Quarries

Caprock Stemming at Stelco

In this image, a layer of rock has been cleared of overburden, and workers plan to blast through the “cap rock,” which lies over the desired limestone reserves. […]

St. Mary’s Quarry

The St. Mary’s Quarry was a limestone quarry rehabilitated as an outdoor swimming and recreational area during the 1930s. It became a popular swimming area after the Second […]

Wildwood Conservation Area

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority rehabilitated a former gravel pit into a natural and recreational campsite. Wildwood Conservation Area covers over 1400 hectares of land. In 1968, […]

Trout Lake Quarry

This is an aerial view of the Trout Lake Quarry in Innerkip, Ontario. Once a quarry mined for limestone, it filled with spring water and is now used […]

American Columbo Herb

Identified by its circular arrangement of leaves with purple speckles, the American Columbo is a perennial herb listed as an Endangered Species under the Endangered Species Act of […]

The Locomotive in the Pit

This locomotive was used in the quarry pits of Beachville White Lime and North American Cyanamid for about 30 years between 1927 and 1957. It brought limestone from […]

Diverting Water

This image was taken as the top layers of brush, soil, gravel, and sand were cleared from the new quarry site in Beachville. On the right is a […]

Arthur Lightheart Recalls a Loose Load

In this audio clip, Lightheart describes a risky incident his brother and Fred Downing experienced going up a ramp with a load of stone to the top of […]

Cole & Hacker Quarry

Cole & Hacker was a recognized dealer in lime and building stone. The company hired hands to mine, burn, and transport limestone. It was heavily intertwined with other […]

Quarrying West of the Village: 1860 Onwards

At the centre of this map is the Village of Beachville. Above the Canadian National Railroad tracks (marked C.N.R.) are lots numbered 18 to 22. Lot 18 is […]

Early Lime Sites to the East

When looking at this diagram, note the river zigzagging at a diagonal and the location of the railroad (marked by a black and white band) running above the […]

A Spratt Family Affair

In this audio clip, Sandra Spratt speaks on Ted Spratt, her late husband and how he started as a quarry worker in Beachville. In the photo above stands […]