Rockland Area Lime Industries

Ever since William McIntyre produced and sold the first lime shipment in 1733, lime production has been a vital part of the Rockland area economy. Local farmers dug into a vein of high-quality lime rock running along the coast from Thomaston to Lincolnville. They burned it in homemade kilns and shipped it to cities farther south to be used as mortar and plaster. As lime manufacturing grew in the area, specialized support industries developed, such as shipbuilding, shipping, barrel-making, and lumbering, to provide the kilns with fuel. Thus a full-fledged regional economy was born, and lime was the mainstay. This book explores the tough and gritty lives of those who made their living from an industry that was, and still is, a backbone of the area.