{"nrhp_refnum":"83004490","name":"Belger-Cahill Lime Kiln","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Lime Kiln Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Marcos","county":"Hays County","state":"TX","lat":29.89932054600007,"lon":-97.92622691999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-08-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A freestanding limestone lime kiln built in 1887 at the foot of a natural limestone outcrop on Lime Kiln Road in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas. It was built by J.J. Belger and J.D. Cahill.","why_significant":"The kiln supplied lime for mortar used in many San Marcos buildings and helped make possible the town's building growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a rare surviving example of a rustic local industry. The Laclede firebricks in its lining support the 1887 construction date.","narrative":"Built in 1887 at the foot of a limestone outcrop on the outskirts of San Marcos, this lime kiln is a rectangular chimney of roughcut limestone blocks, 14 feet deep, 16 feet wide and up to 22 feet high. Low stone walls extend from its front corners, and a beehive-shaped corbelled brick lining sits inside. Some bricks are stamped \"LACLEDE St. Louis,\" which supports the 1887 date. J.J. Belger and J.D. Cahill, both experienced in the lime trade, bought the land and produced 100 to 120 barrels a day. The limestone seam proved less plentiful than expected, and lime became as cheap to import as to make locally, so the kiln was inoperative by 1910. Before then it supplied mortar for the county courthouse, Coronal Institute, an 1890 public school and the 1887 Hofheinz Hotel. The kiln was listed because it represents the materials industry behind the town's late 19th-century growth, and it survives as a rare example. Its southern side has partly collapsed, but the inner chimney remains intact.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"J.J. Belger and J.D. Cahill","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as unoccupied, in fair condition and unaltered on its original site. The southern side is badly caved in, but the inner chimney has not been breached.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.362072-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/3/9695/40969503/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83004490.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004490/55e17b6094-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004490/55e17b6094-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belger_Cahill_lime_kiln_2008.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belger_Cahill_lime_kiln_2008.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969503","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110000449"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/hays-county/belger-cahill-lime-kiln-83004490/"}