Historical Marker · No. 222
Lime Kilns
Olema, Marin County · California
No plaque stands here, and the register's story does not hold. It credits Russian stonemasons after 1812; the National Park Service's research found the three kilns were built about 1850 by two San Francisco men, James Shorb and William Mercer, on land leased from the grantee Rafael Garcia, who under the lease furnished oxen, carts and Indian labor to haul the lime to Bolinas Lagoon. The stone was poor and the market fell away. The kilns were fired only a few times and abandoned by 1855, one still loaded with limestone never burned.
Where it stands
37.98863, -122.74791 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Pioneer Paper Mill — 2.8 mi
- Site of the Lighter Wharf at Bolinas — 4.7 mi
- Home of Lord Charles Snowden Fairfax — 9.0 mi
- Site of New Albion — 11 mi