Wrightsville in York County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Wrightsville's Lime Kilns
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 22, 2011
1. Wrightsville's Lime Kilns Marker
Lime Kilns such as these were used for burning limestone and turning it into lime. The lime was used for fertilizer, white-wash, plaster, and deodorant for outhouses. Quarried limestone was also used along with coal and iron ore to make pig iron in furnaces such as the Aurora Furnace located just north of these lime kilns in Wrightsville.Lime is manufactured from limestone, a mineral. The limestone (CaCO3) is crushed and loaded along with a charge (load) of coal into a tapered, stationary vertical refractory lined tube with the wider bottom permitting the free downward movement of the materials. Burned out with hot air at a temperature of 2000°F, the limestone is decomposed emitting carbon dioxide gas leaving calcium oxide (CaO), more commonly known as quick lime. Following cooling, the lime is crushed into its useful powder form.
The lime industry played a large part in Wrightsville's history. An 1894 bird's eye map of Wrightsville indicates that at least five different sets of kilns were operating in the community. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, York County was one of the largest producers of lime
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Erected by Rivertownes PA USA.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.
Location. 40° 1.735′ N, 76° 31.786′ W. Marker is in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, in York County. Marker is at the intersection of North Front Street and Lime-Kiln Avenue, on the left when traveling north on North Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wrightsville PA 17368, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The River: a Corridor and a Barrier (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Necessary Destruction (about 500 feet away); The Old Post Office Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gettysburg Campaign (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wrightsville (approx. ¼ mile away); American Legion Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); Veterans Memorial Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Ham, Eggs, and Confederates (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wrightsville.
More about this marker. On the lower left is a photo showing a View of Wrightsville's Lime Kilns and Aurora Furnace (looking north on Front Street). In the lower center another photo shows Mining for mineral limestone. In the upper right is a photo of the lime kilns. Below it is an add selling
Photographed By Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
2. Wrightsville's Lime Kilns Marker
Also see . . . A Tour of Wrightsville. Historian Scott Mingus discusses the significance of the lime kilns and other Civil War related sites in the town in part six of his seven part tour of Wrightsville. (Submitted on June 13, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed By Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
3. Wrightsville's Lime Kilns Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
4. The Lime Kilns
Photographed By Dianne Bowders, May 7, 2010
5. Lime Kilns in Wrightsville
Hidden lime kilns are located just north of the main kilns on Waterworks Lane, off N. Front Street.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 22, 2011
6. Wrightsville's Lime Kilns Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,277 times since then and 167 times this year. Last updated on April 5, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on February 17, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 13, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 5. submitted on July 3, 2010, by Dianne Bowders of York, PA. 6. submitted on February 17, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
