Rockport, Maine Lime Kiln Fire & Destruction and 50 similar items

(4) Four Antique Real Photo Postcards, circa 1907. A set of perhaps one-of-a-kind historic images of the Rockport, Maine Lime Kiln fire and destruction which occured in 1907. One image shows workers with hoses putting out the smoldering blaze. A second image depicts the destruction with incredible detail. The third image is either of the kiln stonework, or the stonework of the adjacent bridge, both of which still exist. And the fourth photoshows a view from the water showing the harbor wall and the blaze still smoldering with a pair of firefighters on the left. Two of the postcards have undivided backs, and two are divided back cards. All are unused. Condition: Very good to excellent condition, except for our fourth card which has a chip in the upper left corner and a crease in the lower left corner. Comments: The Rockport Historic Kiln Area encompasses a portion of Rockport Marine Park in Rockport, Maine. This area is part of the region's nationally significant lime processing history, including seven historic early 19th-century lime kilns. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Rockport's surviving lime kiln area is located on the west side of Rockport Harbor, just below the mouth of the Goose River, in what has since been developed as Rockport Marine Park. The park includes seven different kilns, each built out of fieldstone with fired brick interiors. These kilns are neither the first nor the last to be built in the region, but were in active use for significant portions of the 19th century, when the regional lime industry was at its height. Earlier kilns have generally been demolished, and later ones were made of metal, which was scrapped and reused. The first lime kiln built in the area was constructed in what is now Thomaston in 1733. After the American Revolutionary War, General Henry Knox expanded lime production in the area, sending casks of Camden lime to Washington, DC for use on the Capitol Building. During the 19th century lime from Knox County was shipped to destinations all along the eastern seaboard of the United States. The industry also had an international dimension, as area kiln builders were hired to construct kilns in the Canadian provinces, and much of the industry's demand for firewood was met by shipments from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, making Rockport one of the nation's busiest ports of entry. A devastating fire in 1907 marked the end of production at the Rockport Marine Park facility.