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

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 […]

A Report on Water Concerns

Michael Polvere reported that links between the quarries and dry wells were hard to prove in a special feature of “Quarry Quandry” in 2003. The article indicated that […]

Wiring Blasting Caps to a Detonator

In this image from a newspaper article that outlined how quarry blasts were set off, Gordon Holden wires the blasting caps to the detonator.

The River Flats in Beachville

The flats around the Thames River were the perfect place to mine limestone. In this image, notice how shallow the soil is atop a major sheet of rock. […]

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.

Drill Markings on the Wall

This image shows a worker near piles of stone that have been blasted off the pit’s walls. Notice the light, vertical lines at regular intervals on the face […]

The Drilling Rig and Crew

The drilling crew stands before a drill rig with a tall, wooden mast. The mast supports the drill cable. On the floor, at the end of the cable, […]

On the Drilling Crew

When preparing to blast the selected section of the wall, drilling teams create holes vertically through the stone, starting a deliberate distance away from the wall’s edge. Each […]

John Bremner

Alexander Bremner’s business was partially handed down to his son, John Bremner (1863-1914). In this portrait, John is about 30 years old.

Memories of the Quarry: Marion Kilcup

In this audio clip, Kilcup discusses childhood memories of growing up around the Beachville quarries at a public presentation circa 1975. This audio clip is property of the […]

Quarry Workers at the Train Wreck

In this article, Bill Eluchok shares the stories of Arthur Budd. He describes Budd’s role at the quarry, his experience of trying to get to work as waters […]

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 […]