Columbus Limestone
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Kelleys Island Lime & Transport Co.

Columbus Limestone, also, Kelleys Island Lime and Transport Co.. . , Columbus Limestone. The rock you are standing on stretches in a narrow band running north from Pickaway County, Ohio to Canada’s Pelee Island. Known as “Columbus Limestone” due to its history of quarrying near Ohio’s capitol city, this stone formed hundreds of millions of years ago during the Devonian Period when what is now Ohio was covered beneath a sea. Ohioans have historically valued this workable and attractive stone for construction – Columbus Limestone is found in iconic structures including the Ohio State House and Marblehead Lighthouse. More than just a building material, however, processing limestone produces “lime,” a substance vital for manufacturing projects ranging from brick mortar to steel., Kelleys Island Lime and Transport Company. John Clemons opened Kelleys Island's first quarry in 1833 and exporting limestone grew to become the area's most lucrative industry by the late 1800s. Formed in 1886, Kelleys Island Lime and Transport Company (KIL&T) became the island's largest quarry operator. By the 1920s KIL&T annually shipped 1,500,000 tons of stone to ports throughout the Great Lakes. Quarrying ended in 1941 after the production shifted to Marblehead. The ODNR purchased scattered parcels during the 1950s with the intent do combine these properties into Kelleys Island State Park, which opened in 1956. The limestone crusher building is the only remnant of KIL&T's bustling operation.