Near Polo in Ogle County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Buffalo Grove Lime Kiln 1870-1915

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 7, 2022

1. Buffalo Grove Lime Kiln 1870-1915 Marker

Inscription. This free-standing, perpetual-burning lime kiln was used to produce lime mortar, a product widely utilized by the building industry. The area was known as Buffalo Grove after a thriving early settlement along the Galena Trail. The region retained the name even though the community had relocated in 1855 and was renamed Polo. Mortar was made by using ropes and pulleys to raise baskets of quarried limestone to the top of the kiln where the rocks were dropped inside. To create the intense heat needed to change the rock into fine, white-powdered lime, workers fed wood into the draft shaft through the two fireboxes located on opposite sides of the kiln. The powdered lime fell into a chamber at the bottom of the kiln, where it was shoveled out and stored in barrels in the attached lime house. The ashes fell into ash pits located under each firebox. The kiln sits on the quarry floor in close proximity to the resources need for lime production. The adjacent bluffs provided the raw material and the nearby grove of trees supplied the fuel. The Polo Historical Society purchased the site in 1985 and restored the kiln to functional condition

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in 1993. The protective roof was not part of the original structure. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Erected 2007 by The Polo Historical Society and The Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.

Location. 41° 59.158′ N, 89° 36.297′ W. Marker is near Polo, Illinois, in Ogle County. It can be reached from South Galena Trail Road south of West Eagle Point Road (County Road 6), on the right when traveling south. Marker is at the lime kiln, at the south side of the stone quarry, at the BNSF Railroad. Both the quarry and the railroad have signs reading "No Trespassing.". Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2189 South Galena Trail Rd, Polo IL 61064, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 7, 2022

2. Buffalo Grove Lime Kiln 1870-1915 Marker

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: First Cabin in Ogle County (approx. 0.3 miles away); William Durley Killed Here (approx. 0.4 miles away); William Durley Killed By Indians (approx. 0.4 miles away); Indian Ambush (approx. 0.4 miles away); Buffalo Grove (approx. 0.6 miles away); Lincoln in Polo (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Galena Road (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Boles Trail (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Polo.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2022, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 571 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2022, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.