BEACH CEMENT WORKS
The Beach Cement Works are located in the northeastern section of the historic district. These cement works were constructed by theLawrenceville Cement Co. between 1892 and 1898 (verified by Sanborn maps), under the leadership of David Scott and Wm. M. Beach II.
[The Lawrenceville Cement Co. had sold its interest in the cement works east of Snyder’s canal slip between 1892 and 1898.]
Unlike the other companies included in this historic district, the Lawrenceville Cement Co. (at its Binnewater location) did not make extensive use of the Delaware and Hudson Canal (D & H) [which ceased operation in 1899], but rather, transported materials and products via the Wallkill Valley Railroad (1876), located on its eastern border. There were several rail sidings that connected various parts of the mill with the main rail line. The Beach Cement Works changed hands in 1902 and burned in 1913, leaving intact the foundations and walls of the works, as well as the mine and kilns. In the 1920s, Andrew J. Snyder II purchased the property (but did not mine any more cement stone from this site) and in 1928, Snyder leased the property to the Century Cement Co., which used the kilns until 1970.
Beach Kilns – [Map 1, 16]
This battery of ten draw kilns, situated on the eastern edge of the district and facing eastward toward Binnewater Road and the Wallkill Valley Railroad, was constructed in the late 1890s, when the Rosendale cement industry was at its peak. Constructed of stone and lined with yellow firebrick, they are virtually identical to those designed by Lawrence in 1830. Several additional kilns were added after 1928 when the Century Cement Co. used the site.
(one contributing structure]
Beach Mine – [Map 1, 17]
The entrance to this mine, locally known as “Beach Cave,” is situated northwest of the Beach kilns and faces eastward toward Binnewater Road. The area of the Beach Mine was quarried as early as 1875 by Vandemark and Tracey, who quarried stone close to the surface and sold it in bulk to another cement company. Once the Lawrenceville Co. took possession in 1892, serious quarrying begun. By the time the mine closed in 1913, over eighteen acres of cement stone had been mined. At present, this mine is the location of an underground storage facility, which occupies approximately eight acres and includes a number of buildings. Despite this insertion, the mine is intact around it and contributes to the significance of the nomination.
(one contributing structure)