The Getty Site (18CR163)

The Getty Site (18CR163) is a 19th- and 20th-century lime kiln and quarry site near Westminster in Carroll County, Maryland. Many mineral resources underlie the site and extractive industries were a historically important part of the local economy. Iron ore deposits were quarried as early as the 18th century. Marble, limestone, and phyllite are processed for crushed stone and cement manufacture. Limestone was also used to produce lime for agricultural purposes. The principal component of the site is the remains of the three lime kilns built into a hillslope. The kilns appear to have been built separately but adjacent to each other.

The site is comprised of small portions of several of the early land grants in the Westminster area of Carroll County. These parcels were divided via sales to settlers and Leigh Master built an iron furnace and quarried limonite deposits for the furnace. It is conjectured the furnace was in blast at least until his death in 1796. It was in ruins by the late 19th century and a portion of the stack still extant in 1911. Leigh Master’s iron furnace has come to be associated with 18CR163 in the imagination of local residents, but there is no historical evidence to support this notion. Master did own three tracts in the Westminster Park area, but none seem to be those on which the furnace was located. A 1794 map depicts the furnace elsewhere; near Little Pike Creek. The location of Site 18CR163 was acquired by Joseph Orndorff in 1829, and during his ownership lime kilns are first documented at the site. Lime kiln operations continued until around 1905.

Phase I/II investigation was carried out at the site in 1997 when the City of Westminster sought to develop the site as a recreational park. Subsurface testing began with the excavation of 63 shovel test pits and seven 5 X 5 ft. test units. These test excavations resulted in the identification of 17 features at 18CR163 including three kilns and a quarry. This industrial site focused on lime production activities which were centered around the kilns. No evidence of iron-working activities of any sort was encountered.

Feature 2 is the easternmost kiln and appears to be a perpetual (rather than intermittent lime kiln. Details of its construction can be found in the full site report. Based on construction details (massive furnace-like appearance, brick-lined kiln chamber, and the use of narrow gauge railroad ties) indicative of late 19th-century kiln technology and an 1892 advertisement (see above) in the local paper of increased capacity, this kiln is given an approximate date of 1892. A total of 246 items were recovered from the excavation of Feature 2. Feature 3 is the center opening in the retaining wall and is also a perpetual kiln. Part of the hillslope, the top of the kiln, and the retaining wall had eroded down to the base of the kiln. The erosion debris blocked most of the hearth opening for this kiln. Full details of its construction can be found in the full site report, but it is similar in construction to that of the Feature 2 kiln, again dating it to the late 19th century. A total of 818 items were recovered from the excavation of Feature 3.

Based on local legend, Feature 4 was initially identified as a storage room; however the results of excavation revealed that it was an intermittent lime kiln. The kiln chamber was sub-rectangular in outline at the top, unlike the other two which were more circular. A bench is also present which is typical of intermittent kilns. The bench would be used to construct an arch of limestone beneath which the fire was built. Additional limestone would then be dropped in via the top of the kiln atop the arch. The kiln was built prior to ca. 1865 and predates the other two. Historical research indicates that a lime kiln was present on this property by the 1840s. A total of 55 artifacts were retained from the excavation of this kiln. Coal and miscellaneous metal items comprise the majority of these artifacts.

The area around the base of the kilns had been significantly altered during the time the lime kilns were in operation. The area in front of the hearth arch opening for Feature 2 kiln had evidence of a rut (Feature 11) and a shallow erosion gully (Feature 12) running perpendicular to the kiln face. The two features were filled with dirt and capped by a layer of mortar. Then boards were placed across the mortared surface running perpendicular to these features and parallel to the kiln face. Two different types of lime mortar were deposited over the boards (Feature 10). This indicates that this area received a great deal of activity and required frequent maintenance. Prepared cement-like work surfaces (Features 9 and 16) and a tabular stone surface (Feature 7) were also identified during this investigation. The prepared surfaces were not continuous along the front of the kilns. It is likely that these prepared surfaces were placed in areas with wagon traffic. Wagons were probably pulled up to the kiln entrance and loaded with lime. The specific function of Feature 16, the cement-like slab on the north side of Feature 4 kiln was tentatively identified as a work surface, but may be a road segment. Background research indicated that a shed roof was commonly placed over the entrance to lime kilns to protect workers from the weather. Two possible post holes (Feature 14) were identified during the investigation. Both were shallow and it is unlikely that they could have held a roof support. Feature 1 is a linear pile of rocks located east of the kilns which probably represents a waste pile of material that was left over after the construction of one of the kilns. The presence of two chunks of cinder block indicates that the landowners may have added to this pile of stone rubble in more modern times. Other features noted during excavation were a buried historic A horizon encountered in 2 pits (Features 13 and 15), a charcoal-filled trench (Feature 8), and the remnants of one of the earlier shovel test pits (Feature 6). The quarry, which was only minimally investigated, was assigned Feature number 17.

Although numerous lime kilns are found throughout this region of Maryland, to date no documented lime kilns possess the integrity and unique architectural characteristics found at the Getty site. This site illustrates the change in lime production technology during the 19th century over several phases of its evolution. As such it is a unique resource. There are still intact subsurface archaeological features associated with the kilns.

(Edited from the Maryland Historical Trust Synthesis Project)