Rosendale Natural Cement was made from limestone containing the chemical components needed to create natural cement, and its production became one of America’s greatest home-grown industries. In room-and-pillar mines, workers drilled blasting holes, set black powder and dynamite charges, removed two layers of dolostone, and left large open rooms with pillars supporting the ceiling. After extraction, the rock was broken into smaller pieces and taken to nearby kilns for calcination, which converted the natural rock into cement. Because Rosendale Natural Cement hardened under water, it was especially suited for bridge, dam, and canal construction. At its peak in the later part of the 19th century, cement companies in the Rosendale area produced more than 3.5 million barrels annually, more than 50% of all natural cement made in the US at the time, helping build the infrastructure of the United States as well as landmarks including the Brooklyn Bridge and the base of the Statue of Liberty.

Photo: Steve Stoessel

Rosendale, New York · USA