Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
Also known as: 11pk424
Why it's listed
Built into a hillside on the western bluff of the Illinois River in Pike County, this limestone kiln is a bottle-shaped structure about 17 feet tall and 19 feet across at its base. Loaded from the top and emptied through an arched opening at the front, it is a periodic kiln, a type that required roughly 72 hours of firing followed by cooling. Wing walls and a ledge on the front indicate a roofed work area, and a quarried bluff face rises behind it. Tax and deed records suggest it was built in the mid-1850s on land bought by James Hutchinson, and an 1872 plat shows a blacksmith shop at the site, suggesting later reuse. The kiln served the Griggsville Landing community, a river port whose trade declined after a railroad opened in 1870. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved early kilns in Illinois, and the surrounding terraces, rubble and midden may reveal how such sites operated.
Significance in brief: The kiln is one of the best-preserved periodic lime kilns in Illinois and represents a small commercial lime operation that predates the industrial expansion of lime making after the Civil War. It is also an example of a pre-Civil War kiln type, and the surrounding rubble, terraces and midden may hold archaeological information about how a kiln site was organized and used.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 99000974, listed August 30, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Township Rd. 490, N of Napoleon Hollow, Valley City |
|---|---|
| County | Pike County |
| Listed | August 30, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000974 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | ca. 1855-ca. 1870 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other: Periodic Lime Kiln |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Engineering, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the top courses of the kiln are missing, wing walls survive less than three feet high, and rubble and vegetation cover much of the site. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.69004, -90.64622 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 99000974.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5608988
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.