Fires Destroy Standard Lime Co. Buildings at Quarry in 1908

The location of the Standard Lime Co. at Quarry in the Town of Rockland is shown in the 1921 Standard Atlas of Manitowoc County.

On June 9, 1908, all the sheds of the Standard Lime Company were destroyed by a fire that swept the plant, causing a loss of $5,000 and threatening the small village of Quarry, near Valders, in the Town of Rockland in western Manitowoc County.

According to The Manitowoc Citizen, the Tuesday evening fire was discovered shortly before 7:00pm and “the whole village would have been wiped off the map” had the Collins volunteer fire department with a force of 50 men not arrived to help the 100 workers at the quarry extinguish the flames.

The flames were fanned by a strong westerly wind. Flying embers landed on the roofs of homes of several workmen, but were successfully extinguished before serious damage was done.

After some time, the water supply from wells gave out, leaving firemen to try and keep the flames from spreading. Despite vigorous efforts, 100 cords of wood, used in the lime kilns, also burned. By 9:00pm the fire had burned itself out. The cause of the fire was not determined.

Five months later, on November 9, 1908, a second fire destroyed three lime sheds (rebuilt since the last fire) and four box cars of the Wisconsin Central Railway Co. on a siding near the plant. The railroad from Manitowoc to Hilbert Jct., built in 1896, ran adjacent to the limestone quarry. The Manitowoc branch later became part of the ‘Soo’ Line.

The Monday night blaze started at 6:30pm while workers were at supper and was beyond control before anyone reached the scene. The box cars on the tracks were loaded with cement. Workers removed a barrel of gasoline from the warehouse, but some explosives left made quite a noise when they exploded. Because there was no wind that evening, other buildings escaped damage.

The cause of the second fire at the Standard Lime Co. was investigated by the state fire marshal but no evidence of arson was found. Company officials had requested the inquiry considering the fire originated in sheds that were just constructed to replace those burned a few months ago. They also thought a workers’ pay cut of 10 cents a day, made the day before the fire, might have had something to do with the cause of the fire.

Today, the limestone quarry remains on private property, but the once bustling village of Quarry has disappeared from the cultural landscape. Gone are the two lime and stone companies (the other was the Empire Lime Co.), a hotel, two taverns (one with a dance hall), post office, depot, cheese factory, blacksmith shop, school and several homes for quarry workers (many of Italian descent). When the quarries closed in the 1930s, workers and many families moved away.

The story of Quarry as an important mail, rail and trade center and memories of life there have faded through time.