Heavy Industry Archives | Bedrock of Beachville: The History of Our Limestone Quarries

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Pierce Arrow Truck

Above is an image of an old Pierce Arrow pickup truck with an open cab. Made between 1911 and 1938, Pierce Arrow trucks had capacities of anywhere between […]

The Euclid Rock Hauler

This Euclid rock hauler was used between 1950 and 1972 for active quarrying and stripping at Chemical Lime Limited. It featured a 165 horsepower Cummins, 6-cylinder diesel engine […]

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.

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 […]