ADDED TO THE WISCONSIN & NATIONAL REGISTRY OF HISTORIC PLACES IN 2016
THE HISTORY OF THE RHINE MILLS QUARRY & LIME KILNS
The first interest shown in the area to be known as Rhine Mills began in 1870. John Bertschy, a Sheboygan business man, bought the entire area of the Sheboygan Marsh including the Quarry property, about 6,000 acres, from the U.S. Government, His plan was to drain the Marsh and turn the area into farmland for the many immigrants who were settling in Sheboygan County. Bertschy failed in his attempt to drain the Marsh due to his inability to blast a hole in the limestone ridge that for thousands of years acted as a dam holding back the Marsh’s water. The area was left in a useless marshy condition, swept year after year by fires, some which smoldered for months in the peaty soil.
The Sheboygan Valley Land and Lime Company
Shortly before the outbreak of WWI, with the rise in the cost of agricultural products and the ensuing rise in the price of farm land, another attempt was made to reclaim the land.
In 1911, W. J. Hay of Oshkosh organized the Sheboygan Valley Land and Lime Company. Bertschy’s original plan to dam the outlet, flood the Marsh, dredge channels and then open the dam to drain the Marsh was revived. Twenty miles of ditches from 6 to 20 feet deep and up to 60 feet wide were dug at the Marsh. The greatest obstacle to draining the Marsh was still the limestone ledge. Using dynamite, they were successful in opening up the ledge while also straightening and deepening the adjacent Sheboygan River.
The company also built this large lime-producing facility to manufacture lime from the limestone in the vicinity. The Marsh reclamation project failed due to economic forces as post war land prices dropped, but the lime kilns were a successful venture for about 10 years.
The Garden City Land and Lime Company
The Garden City Land and Lime Company purchased the property in 1920, only to sell it again when they ceased operations in 1926. It was after that time that the Quarry filled with water since the pumps that kept the Quarry floor dry ceased to be used.
Later years…
The lime kilns and its 59 acre site were then acquired by the Brennann family of Valders.
In 1953, Owen Brennann sold the property to Paul Langenfeld of New Holstein, who fenced in part of the area as a deer farm. The property was purchased by the Leslie Quasius family in 1963, and most of the restoration and improvements stem from that date.