Susan



Mike Pearson has published good stuff on lime kilns in Australia thaty will
be useful [some were probably built by Irish too]:



Archaeological interpretation and ethnographic analogy: the lime industry in
Western Australia

Archaeology in Oceania 21 [1986]



and



The lime industry in Australia: an overview

Australian Journal of Historical Archaeology 8 [1990]



 Although lime tended to be burnt in round tapered kilns, a lot of early
construction lime for mortar 1788-c.1850 and even later was produced from
open burning of Aboriginal shell midden material, mixing fuel with dense
shell midden / natural shell bed matrix.  An extensive industry based on
this took place around the littoral fringe of Sydney [and elsewhere] but I
don't know of any excavations of these sorts of kiln sites.



Denis




----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan Houghton" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 2:55 AM
Subject: Limestone kilns, pit style


> We have located limestone kilns, the second grouping found during the
> phased project.  I am picking up the research, and from the beginning we
> have had difficulty in finding information on pit style as opposed to
> formally constructed furnaces for the production of lime.
> No such formal kiln is known in the area.  We do have a bit of
> interesting documentation, a ledger stating 'Cash to Irishmen for build
> lime kiln'.
> Our features are simply lenses of burned and unburned limestone mixed
> with ash and charcoal flecks.  The lenses may have 2 distinct layers,
> one composed of larger rock and the other of finer gravels.
> I am wading through a great deal of information on the production of
> lime, and am searching for any information on short-term pit kilns.
> Thanks for your help,
> Susan
>
>
> Susan Houghton, RPA
> Laboratory Supervisor
> Cultural Resources
> Burns & McDonnell
> 9400 Ward Parkway
> Kansas City, Missouri  64114
> Tel: 816-333-9400 x2264
> Fax: 816-822-3515
> [log in to unmask]
>
>