Rosendale's history begins with the discovery in 1825 of enormous deposits of naturally perfect limestone, the base ingredient of hydraulic cement, which made the town a boomtown with over 250 mines, bars, brothels, and a dozen plants employing more than 5,000 workers at the height of production. Throughout the 19th century, Rosendale Cement was the most widely used cement in the United States, and the town's abundance of limestone facilitated construction of the D&H Canal system and the transportation of coal from Pennsylvania's interior to coastal ports. Rosendale cement was used in the Brooklyn Bridge, the Croton Reservoir system, the foundation of the US Treasury Building, the wings of the US Capitol, the Washington Monument, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Terminal, and the New York State Thruway. The Victorian buildings along Rosendale's streets reflect a blend of art, commerce, and industry, and former hotels, pharmacies, lumber yards, and brothels now house distinctive restaurants, offices, galleries, and shops. In the former Rosendale Cement Company Store and Post Office, the Woman's Studio Workshop represents a new industry replacing the old, as artists and students assemble collages, make handmade paper, and print books where goods for miners were once sold. Abandoned mines have been reinvented for document storage, mushroom growing, trout farming, and live music, while cement kilns still dot the hillsides descending to Rondout Creek, helping form a post-industrial landscape that draws artists, writers, performers, nature lovers, historians, and outdoor enthusiasts.