Before modern cement came onto the market, lime was used to make mortar for brick and stonework and to whitewash wood instead of painting. Large furnaces used heat to reduce nearby limestone rocks into lime. As early as 1853, the Seth Moore family operated lime kilns in the county. The kiln portions still standing near here were built in 1893 by the Nast brothers, and a row of houses was built for the workers, who were mostly Italian.