Lime Kilns

By Austin Explorer

Lime kilns are in essense cooking ovens for the production of quicklime. This product is used both to make mortar for construction and as a soil additive for growing crops. Central Texas is blessed with ample amounts of limestone, so lime kilns are a natural here.

Because the proper chemical reaction to produce quicklime requires a temperature at or above 900 degrees celsius, lime kilns tend to be large, sturdy structures. This means we have several kilns in excellent shape that can still be visited.

Taylor's Lime Kilns Taylor's Lime Kiln in west Austin resides in a small neighborhood park. In the early days of Austin this kiln played a major role in settling the area by providing the building materials needed for many of Austin's older homes. Taylor was awarded a patent for the triangle brace, which allowed kilns to be operated over longer periods of time.

Austin White Lime The company is still in operation today just north of Austin, but Austin White Lime features an eery collection of decaying kilns from the past that are being enveloped in vegetation. Once far removed from the capital city, the ruins are rapidly being encroached upon by development both from Austin and Round Rock.

Kreische Brewery Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historical Parks in LaGrange include the ruins of Kreische Brewery. The mortar to create the brewery's stone walls probably originated from this lime kiln adjacent to the brewery building. The kiln can be seen on a guided tour of the park's History Trail.

There are no known lime kilns at Berry Springs Park in Georgetown. However, I couldn't help but do a double take when I spied the entrance stonework to the park. Look familiar? The tower appears to be a lime kiln and it even includes what look like Taylor Braces!