LIME! April 22, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday April 22, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Lime

On this day, 250 years ago, John Nicholson sold seven casks of lime to the Colden store.

Lime has been used in agriculture since the times of the Greeks and Romans. Cato (95BC-46BC) described the operation of a limestone kiln to make this valued crop enhancer. As soon as the colonists arrived in North America they set out to find sources of lime.

Ruins of old lime kilns dating to the 18th century can be found up and down the East coast. John Nicholson appears to have operated one. In fact, it was said that nearly every farm in the colonies in 1760 had a lime kiln! [Williams, Lime Kilns in the Lower Jordan Valley, Lehigh County Historical Society, 1952, 77-78]

Lime kiln ruins in High Falls, NY. Image courtesy of The Lime Kiln

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

The calcination of limestone (CaCO3) to lime (CaO) requires heat. In colonial times, that heat was provided by burning wood. Alternating layers of stone and wood were ignited and allowed to burn for about a week.

Some limestone kilns were constructed of rock, but crude kilns were simply a pit filled with alternating layers of limestone and wood. In both cases the burn was monitored closely as too much or too little heat was detrimental.

Schematic of Lime Kiln. Image from Creative Commons

Lime was also used in mortars and plasters. The iron industry that was developing in the nearby highlands at this time, also required lime.

John Nicholson was an officer in the French and Indian War and led a company north to the Battle of Quebec in 1759. His home on current Route 208 still stands near the hamlet of Maybrook.

Much of the information on lime kilns was sourced from The Lime Kiln - Fraley.

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