The Old Lime Kiln
San Marcos, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This site near the source of the San Marcos River was part of the Thomas J. Chambers grant of 1834. The tract was sold in 1848 to Gen. Edward Burleson (1798-1851), military and political leader in early Texas, who built a cabin nearby. A later owner, former Confederate Major W. O. Hutchison (1834-1900), sold 47.5 acres to J. J. Belger and James D. Cahill in 1887. They erected this brick and rock kiln, in which limestone was burned to produce lime for agriculture and construction. The operation ceased by 1910, when cheaper lime became available. The site is now (1976) owned by the Brown School. Incise in base: Marker Sponsors: Boy Scouts of America, Troop Number 112
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This brick-and-rock kiln stands on land once part of an 1834 Mexican grant later owned by Gen. Edward Burleson, a leading figure in early Texas. In 1887 J. J. Belger and James Cahill built the kiln to burn local limestone into lime for farming and construction. The operation ran until about 1910, when cheaper commercial lime made it obsolete.
Why it matters
The kiln preserves a piece of the small-scale industry that supplied building materials to a growing Texas.
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Related people
- · Edward Burleson
- · W. O. Hutchison
- · J. J. Belger
- · James D. Cahill
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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