Rosendale cement

Last updated

Rosendale cement is a natural hydraulic cement that was produced in and around Rosendale, New York, beginning in 1825. [1] From 1818 to 1970 natural cements were produced in over 70 locations in the United States and Canada. More than half of the 35 million tons of natural cement produced in the United States originated with cement rock mined in Ulster County, New York, in and around the Town of Rosendale in the Hudson River Valley. [2] The Rosendale region of southeastern New York State is widely recognized as the source of the highest quality natural cement in North America. [3] The Rosendale region was also coveted by geologists, such as W. W. Mather, a geologist working for the State of New York, for its unusual exposed bedrock. [1] Because of its reputation, Rosendale cement was used as both a trade name and as a generic term referring to any natural hydraulic cement in the US. It was used in the construction of many of the United States' most important landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, Federal Hall National Memorial, and the west wing of the United States Capitol building. [4]

Contents

Composition

Rosendale natural cement from the Rosendale area was produced from fine-grained, high silica and alumina dolomite mined from the Rosendale and Whiteport Members of the late Silurian Rondout Formation. Although composition varied, one text quotes CaCO3 45.91%, MgCO3 25.14%, silica and insoluble 15.37%, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 11.38%, water and undetermined 1.20%. [5]

Production

At its peak, there were over a dozen mines in the area, which required a large number of workers. The majority of this labor force were foreign-born Irish. [6] [7]

Mining

Lithograph of Rosendale cement production site in Ulster County, NY. Beers Ulster County Atlas Page085.jpg
Lithograph of Rosendale cement production site in Ulster County, NY.

Room and pillar mining was utilized in the majority of Rosendale area mines, though there are examples of open quarries. A combination of blasting and hand tools, such as sledge hammers, were used at the height of production to extract the dolomite, which was transported to the surface via steam hoists, and then to nearby kilns by narrow gauge rail for calcination. [8]

Calcination and grinding

Natural cement is produced in a process that begins with the calcination of crushed dolomite in large brick kilns, fired initially by wood and then by coal transported to Rosendale by the D&H canal. The resulting clinker is ground into progressively smaller particles. The final product is a fine powder of 50 mesh size. Unlike Portland cement, Rosendale cement does not require mixing of chemical additives. Historically, this natural cement product was packaged in paper-lined wooden barrels weighing 300 lbs, or in heavy canvas bags. [9]

History

Early history

Seal of the New York and Rosendale Cement Company. NYRCC Seal.jpg
Seal of the New York and Rosendale Cement Company.

Natural cement rock was first discovered by Canvass White in 1818 in Chittenango, east of Syracuse, who developed a process for the manufacture of cement which he patented in 1820. [1] In Rosendale, cement rock was discovered in the summer of 1825 by Canvass White or an assistant engineer for the Delaware and Hudson Canal James McEntee. [10] The cement was competitive in quality to that of Chittenango and because of its proximity to D&H canal construction, a contract to supply the cement was awarded to John Littlejohn, who commenced production in High Falls, New York in 1826. [11] Littlejohn completed his contract, and Judge Lucas Elemdorf picked up cement manufacturing in Lawrenceville, a hamlet of Rosendale, grinding the cement on the property of Jacob Low Snyder around 1827. [12] Soon, several cement works were founded most notably by Watson E. Lawrence, of whom Lawrenceville is named, the aforementioned Canvass White, and his brother Hugh White, who founded Whiteport, a hamlet in Rosendale. Another notable cement plant was located in Binnewater, a hamlet of Rosendale, run by F. O. Norton, in about 1868, and another by A. J. Snyder on his own lands in Lawrenceville in 1850. [13]

According to Dietrich Werner, the former president of the Century House Historical Society, the proximity of the Rosendale region to the Delaware and Hudson Canal enabled the production and shipment of the natural cement. Soon, Rosendale cement could be found in all major American east coast ports and in the West Indies. [1]

Industrial Revolution

With the onset of the American Industrial revolution, the demand for cement increased. Roads, dams, power plants, bridges, and various North American government projects such as the construction of cisterns, wet cellars and the Croton Aqueduct system were rapidly being built throughout the American landscape. [1] All of these structures utilized Rosendale natural cement. [14] In addition to large structures, natural cement was also used to create mortars, stuccos, lime-washes, grouts, and concretes. [2] In the final year of the 19th century, Rosendale’s cement industry peaked, producing nearly 8.5 million barrels a year. Remnants of cement operations including kilns and the Widow Jane Mine are preserved in the Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District. [15]

Portland cement and the decline of Rosendale

Rockefeller Center, National Historic Landmark Plaque RockefellerLandmark.JPG
Rockefeller Center, National Historic Landmark Plaque

By the 20th century, the demand for Rosendale natural cement dropped precipitously, while Portland cement rapidly became the most popular building material. There are many reasons for the decline, but it is mainly attributed to advances in the production of Portland cement, especially the horizontal rotary cylinder kiln, which decreased the cost significantly, while tripling output over previous kilns. At the same time, the American Society of Testing Engineers changed their standards to favor Portland cement, which was generally perceived as more consistent and with a much shorter drying time. [9] By 1910, production dropped from a high of 8.5 million barrels a year to 1 million barrels a year, and by 1920 there was only one factory still in operation, that of A.J. Snyder. [16] One revival of the industry occurred in the mid 20th century, when A.J. Snyder began to experiment by combining natural cement with Portland cement after New York State engineers noticed the durability of Rosendale cement. [10] Notable structures built out of this hybrid are New York’s Rockefeller Center in the late 1930s, the New York State Thruway in the 1950s, and the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s and early 1960s. [2] Various writers, including Uriah Cummings, appear to support the anecdotal evidence that Rosendale cement was highly durable, and with tensile strength equal to or greater than Portland, however the decline in the industry was unstoppable.

By 1970, A. J. Snyder's last Rosendale, NY mine closed. Six years later, natural cement ceased to be produced altogether in the US. [17] Natural cement was not available in the United States for over thirty years. [18]

Revival and present day production

While the natural cement industry declined in the early 20th century, demand was later revived by efforts to restore historic buildings and structures using historically accurate materials. [19] This led to the re-opening in 2004 of the historic Hickory Bush Quarry in Rosendale, New York, operated by Freedom Cement, which currently sells authentic Rosendale cement under the Century Brand trademark. [20] This product has been used in the restoration of Fort Jefferson National Monument in Florida and the High Bridge in New York City, both of which were originally built using natural cement. Other companies continue the tradition of liberal use of the name "Rosendale cement" to market its natural hydraulic cement, though the materials for this product are extracted elsewhere. [21] Unlike the exhausted or inaccessible sources elsewhere, the mines in Rosendale, New York, still hold countless accessible tons of the highest quality natural cement rock, capable of supplying long-term future needs. [2]

In 2006, industry standards for the performance properties of natural cement were reintroduced by ASTM International under ASTM C10, Standard Specification for Natural Cement. [22] Over the past ten years, The Society for the Preservation of Historic Cements, Inc has hosted three conferences on American Natural Cement that attract experts across disciplines, including geologists, engineers, preservationists, historians and architects. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cement</span> Hydraulic binder used in the composition of mortar and concrete

A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete. Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland cement</span> Binder used as basic ingredient of concrete

Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the early 19th century by Joseph Aspdin, and is usually made from limestone. It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, and then grinding the clinker with the addition of several percent gypsum. Several types of portland cement are available. The most common, historically called ordinary portland cement (OPC), is grey, but white portland cement is also available. Its name is derived from its resemblance to Portland stone which is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. It was named by Joseph Aspdin who obtained a patent for it in 1824. His son William Aspdin is regarded as the inventor of "modern" portland cement due to his developments in the 1840s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosendale, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Rosendale is a town in the center of Ulster County, New York, United States. It once contained a village Rosendale, primarily centered around Main Street, but which was dissolved through vote in 1977. The population was 5,782 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosendale (CDP), New York</span> Hamlet & CDP in New York, United States

Rosendale is a hamlet located in the Town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2020 census. It was also a census-designated place known as Rosendale Village until 2010, when the U.S. Census Bureau designated it Rosendale Hamlet. Some maps continue to list the place as just Rosendale. As of 2020, the "Hamlet" in the CDP name was dropped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refractory</span> Materials resistant to decomposition under high temperatures

In materials science, a refractory is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat or chemical attack and that retains its strength and rigidity at high temperatures. They are inorganic, non-metallic compounds that may be porous or non-porous, and their crystallinity varies widely: they may be crystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous, or composite. They are typically composed of oxides, carbides or nitrides of the following elements: silicon, aluminium, magnesium, calcium, boron, chromium and zirconium. Many refractories are ceramics, but some such as graphite are not, and some ceramics such as clay pottery are not considered refractory. Refractories are distinguished from the refractory metals, which are elemental metals and their alloys that have high melting temperatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lime (material)</span> Calcium oxides and/or hydroxides

Lime is an inorganic material composed primarily of calcium oxides and hydroxides. It is also the name for calcium oxide which occurs as a product of coal-seam fires and in altered limestone xenoliths in volcanic ejecta. The International Mineralogical Association recognizes lime as a mineral with the chemical formula of CaO. The word lime originates with its earliest use as building mortar and has the sense of sticking or adhering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canvass White</span> American engineer and inventor

Canvass White was an American engineer and inventor. He was chief engineer at the Delaware and Raritan Canal and he patented Rosendale cement, which became the dominant cement in the United States until 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rondout, New York</span> Village in New York, U.S.

Rondout, is situated in Ulster County, New York, on the Hudson River at the mouth of Rondout Creek. Originally a maritime village, the arrival of the Delaware and Hudson Canal helped create a city that dwarfed nearby Kingston. Rondout became the third largest port on the Hudson River. Rondout merged with Kingston in 1872. It now includes the Rondout–West Strand Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cast stone</span> Material simulating natural stone

Cast stone or reconstructed stone is a highly refined building material, a form of precast concrete used as masonry intended to simulate natural-cut stone. It is used for architectural features: trim, or ornament; facing buildings or other structures; statuary; and for garden ornaments. Cast stone can be made from white and/or grey cements, manufactured or natural sands, crushed stone or natural gravels, and colored with mineral coloring pigments. Cast stone may replace such common natural building stones as limestone, brownstone, sandstone, bluestone, granite, slate, coral, and travertine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallkill Valley Rail Trail</span> Rail trail in New York, United States

The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a 23.7-mile (38.1 km) rail trail and linear park that runs along the former Wallkill Valley Railroad rail corridor in Ulster County, New York, United States. It stretches from Gardiner through New Paltz, Rosendale and Ulster to the Kingston city line, just south of a demolished, concrete Conrail railroad bridge that was located on a team-track siding several blocks south of the also-demolished Kingston New York Central Railroad passenger station. The trail is separated from the Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail by two state prisons in Shawangunk, though there have been plans to bypass these facilities and to connect the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail with other regional rail-trails. The northern section of the trail forms part of the Empire State Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman cement</span> Cement made by burning septaria, unrelated to ancient Rome

Roman cement is a substance developed by James Parker in the 1780s, being patented in 1796.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosendale Library</span> Historic building in New York, United States

The Rosendale Library, formerly the All Saints' Chapel, is located on Main Street in Rosendale, New York, United States. It was originally built as a Gothic Revival Episcopal church from locally mined Rosendale cement, a material which covers the stonework exterior walls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District is located in the Town of Rosendale, New York, United States. It is a 275-acre (111 ha) tract roughly bounded by Rondout Creek, Binnewater and Cottekill roads and Sawdust Avenue. NY 213 runs through the lower portion of the district, paralleling the dry bed of the Delaware and Hudson Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnesium oxide wallboard</span> Building material

Magnesium oxide, more commonly called magnesia, is a mineral that when used as part of a cement mixture and cast into thin cement panels under proper curing procedures and practices can be used in residential and commercial building construction. Some versions are suitable for general building uses and for applications that require fire resistance, mold and mildew control, as well as sound-control applications. Magnesia board has strength and resistance due to very strong bonds between magnesium and oxygen atoms that form magnesium oxide crystals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosendale Trestle</span> Railroad truss bridge in New York, U.S.

The Rosendale Trestle is a 940-foot (290-meter) continuous truss bridge and former railroad trestle in Rosendale Village, a hamlet in the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York. Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises 150 ft (46 m) above Rondout Creek, spanning both Route 213 and the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. Construction on the trestle began in late 1870, and continued until early 1872. When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joppenbergh Mountain</span> Mountain in Ulster County, New York

Joppenbergh Mountain is a nearly 500-foot (152 m) mountain in Rosendale Village, a hamlet in the town of Rosendale, in Ulster County, New York. The mountain is composed of a carbonate bedrock overlain by glacially deposited material. It was named after Rosendale's founder, Jacob Rutsen, and mined throughout the late 19th century for dolomite that was used in the manufacture of natural cement. Extensive mining caused a large cave-in on December 19, 1899, that destroyed equipment and collapsed shafts within Joppenbergh. Though it was feared that several workers had been killed, the collapse happened while all the miners were outside, eating lunch. Since the collapse, the mountain has experienced shaking and periodic rockfalls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edison Portland Cement Company</span> American company, 1899–1920s

The Edison Portland Cement Company was a venture by Thomas Edison that helped to improve the Portland cement industry. Edison was developing an iron ore milling process and discovered a market in the sale of waste sand to cement manufacturers. He decided to set up his own cement company, founding it in New Village, New Jersey in 1899, and went on to supply the concrete for the construction of Yankee Stadium in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edison Ore-Milling Company</span>

The Edison Ore-Milling Company was a venture by Thomas Edison that began in 1881. Edison introduced some significant technological developments to the iron ore milling industry but the company ultimately proved to be unprofitable. Towards the end of the company's life, Edison realized the potential application of his technologies to the cement industry and formed the Edison Portland Cement Company in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns is a heritage-listed lime kiln at Carlton Road, Portland, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1884 to 1895 by George Raffan and Alexander Currie. It is also known as Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns Precinct, Portland Cement Works Site, Williwa Street Portland. The property is owned by Boral. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 3 August 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Widow Jane Mine</span> Cement mine in New York state, 1825–1970

Widow Jane Mine is a former cement mine located west of Rosendale, New York. The mine was active from 1825 to 1970 and is now part of the Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District. Dolomite extracted from the mine was used to make Rosendale cement which was widely used in the 19th century, contributing to the base of the Statue of Liberty among other structures.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Werner, Dietrich; Burmeister, Kurtis (2007). "An Overview of the History and Economic Geology of the Natural Cement Industry at Rosendale, Ulster County, New York". Journal of ASTM International. 4 (6): 100672. doi:10.1520/JAI100672 . Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Edison, Michael P. (2007). "Formulating with Rosendale Natural Cement" (PDF). Journal of ASTM International. 4: 100625. doi:10.1520/JAI100625.
  3. ↑ Werner, Dietrich; Burmeister, Kurtis (2007). "An Overview of the History and Economic Geology of the Natural Cement Industry at Rosendale, Ulster County, New York". Journal of ASTM International. 4 (6): 100672. doi:10.1520/JAI100672 – via ASTM Compass.
  4. ↑ Cummings, Uriah (1898). American Cements, Rogers & Manson, p. 297,298, ISBN   1334181586.
  5. ↑ Wanless, Harold rollin (1921). "Final Report on the History of the Rosendale Cement District"
  6. ↑ "The Valley's World-Beating Natural Cement Industry". Scenic Hudson. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  7. ↑ Staff Writer. "Now & Then: Widow Jane Mine". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ↑ Werner, Dietrich; Burmeister, Kurtis (2007). "An Overview of the History and Economic Geology of the Natural Cement Industry at Rosendale, Ulster County, New York". Journal of ASTM International. 4 (6): 9, 10. doi:10.1520/JAI100672 – via ASTM Compass.
  9. 1 2 Howe, Dennis E. (2009). Industrial Archeology of a Rosendale Cement Works at Whiteport, Whiteport Press, p. 25,26.
  10. 1 2 Gilchrist, Ann. (1976). Footsteps Across Cement, A History of the Township of Rosendale, New York,Self Publish, p. 60.
  11. ↑ Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett (1880). History of Ulster County New York, Everts & Peck, p. 240.
  12. ↑ Gilchrist, Ann. (1976). Footsteps Across Cement, A History of the Township of Rosendale, New York,Self Publish, p. 44.
  13. ↑ Gilchrist, Ann. (1976). Footsteps Across Cement, A History of the Township of Rosendale, New York,Self Publish, p. 47.
  14. ↑ Edison, Leyla. "Perspectives: The Reintroduction of Natural Cement". Journal of ASTM International. 4: xi.
  15. ↑ "The Century House Historical Society".
  16. ↑ Gilchrist, Ann. (1976). Footsteps Across Cement, A History of the Township of Rosendale, New York,Self Publish, p. 59.
  17. ↑ "History of Rosendale Cement". www.rosendalecement.net. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  18. ↑ "NaturalCement.org". www.naturalcement.org. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  19. ↑ Edison, Michael P., "The American Natural Cement Revival", January 2006, ASTM Standardization News.
  20. ↑ "Century Brand® Natural Cement", Freedom Cement, LLC.
  21. ↑ "Rosendale Natural Cement Products", Edison Coatings, Inc.
  22. ↑ "ASTM C10, Standard Specification for Natural Cement", ASTM International.
  23. ↑ "The Birth Of The American Cement Industry" (PDF). www.naturalcement.org. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.