Work 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 […]

Domtar Strikers Around Stove Beachville

This image, from the London Free Press, depicts strikers surrounding a stove at the Domtar site. With the cold weather setting in, strikers built a makeshift shack and […]

Beachville Region Farm

The regions near Beachville contain numerous farms that have been around for centuries. As more land was purchased, concerns arose about safeguarding the agricultural areas within the limestone […]

“The Old Stage Road” Historical Plaque

This plaque was installed on the grounds of Sweaburg Central School on County Road 14, southeast of Woodstock by Ontario Heritage Trust’s for their Provincial Plaque Program. This […]

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 […]

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 […]

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.”

Features of the Limestone Valley Trail: Signage

A didactic explaining the history of the rotary kiln components along the trail. The signage reads, “Kilns are used to convert limestone to quicklime by burning stone at […]

Earning a Living

Here, you can also note that employees made different wages based on their tasks at the quarries. Note in the first image that the wage paid is $1.94 […]