Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Snyder Estate Natural Cement
Historic District |
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Houses of Andrew (left) and Charles Snyder along Route 213, 2008
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Rosendale, NY |
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| Nearest city | Kingston |
| Area | 275 acres (111 ha) |
| Built | 1825-1958 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000695 |
| Added to NRHP | 1992 |
The Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District is a special area in Rosendale, New York. It covers about 275 acres (111 hectares) and is near the Rondout Creek. This district is important because it shows us how natural cement was made a long time ago.
Inside this area, you can find 122 historic spots. These include old factories that made "Rosendale cement," and the homes of the Snyder family, who owned the land. The buildings range from the 1825 time when cement was first found, to some of the last factories built before production stopped in 1970. You can see homes, barns, factories, mines, and even old water reservoirs. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 because of its history.
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Exploring the Snyder Estate Land
This historic district is shaped a bit like the letter "r". It's surrounded by roads and a creek on three sides. The land has two big hills, which are part of the Shawangunk Ridge. These hills are over 300 feet (91 meters) tall, much higher than the creek below.
Between these hills, in a narrow valley, are the remains of one of the biggest cement factories. An old Wallkill Valley Railroad track used to run from here. You can also find old mines and quarries dug into the sides of both hills. Most of the land is covered in woods, but some open fields along the roads are now meadows.
The Story of Rosendale Cement
Natural cement started being made almost right after it was discovered in 1825. This happened when James McEntee, an engineer, was working on the Delaware and Hudson Canal. At its busiest, around the late 1800s, about 4 million barrels of cement were made each year! But in the 1900s, a new type of cement called Portland cement became popular and cheaper. This caused the demand for natural cement to drop. The last cement company here closed in 1970.
How it All Began: The 1800s
The Snyder family had owned and farmed this land since 1755. In 1809, Jacob Lowe Snyder, a family member, had a house and a gristmill built. This house, called the Century House, is the oldest building in the district that we know the exact age of.
In 1825, Jacob Snyder allowed the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company to build a canal across his land. While digging, workers found special rock called dolostone. This rock had the right amount of clay minerals to make natural cement without adding anything else!
The company quickly started making cement. This new cement was perfect for building the canal itself, and it also gave the company another product to sell besides anthracite coal. In 1830, Snyder leased part of his land to Watson Lawrence, who already had a cement plant nearby. Soon, many other mines and cement plants opened in the area.
The Lawrence Cement Company worked hard to make its cement better. They sold it for big projects like New York City's Old Croton Aqueduct and the Brooklyn Navy Yard docks. Because of this, "Rosendale cement" became famous for its quality. It even became a general term for any natural cement, no matter where it was made! However, the company faced financial problems and closed in 1858.
William Beach took over the company, now called Lawrenceville Cement Company. He made the factories bigger, just in time for a huge increase in demand after the American Civil War. When Beach died in 1881, his son, William N. Beach II, took over.
The younger Beach used the new Wallkill Valley Railroad to ship cement. This was a faster way to get the product to markets than the canal. Over time, the canal became less important for shipping cement.
The 1900s: Changes and Challenges
As the 19th century ended, natural cement was very popular. The Snyder family was proud that their cement was used in the Brooklyn Bridge, a famous landmark. But then, cheaper Portland cement was developed. This caused the demand for Rosendale cement to drop by 90% in just ten years!
Andrew J. Snyder II took over the Snyder company in 1911. He made one of the big plants smaller and kept making cement, but on a reduced scale. In the 1920s, an investor leased part of the property and started the Interstate Cement Company.
However, the Great Depression soon hit, and this company became the Century Cement Manufacturing Co., owned by Snyder. To keep things going, Snyder allowed mushroom growers to use the abandoned Beach Mine. This mine produced a lot of mushrooms until 1960.
Snyder also found that mixing natural cement with Portland cement (about 20% natural, 80% Portland) made a stronger, faster-setting blend. This was perfect for building highways, which were being built quickly during the New Deal era. Production increased again before World War II.
After the war, highway building boomed with the Interstate Highway System. Rosendale cement was used for parts of the New York State Thruway in 1954. But this was the last major project to use it.
Snyder also looked into making Portland cement. In 1958, his company bought a new plant. It was built next to the old factories and started making Portland cement. Around the same time, scientists found an additive for Portland cement that made the Rosendale mix unnecessary. This made Portland cement even cheaper to produce.
Snyder and his team tried to keep up, but it was difficult. The demand for natural cement became very small. In 1970, Snyder finally stopped making cement, almost 150 years after it was first found on the canal bed. He passed away five years later.
Keeping History Alive
People realized how important this area was, not just for the region but for the whole country. The Century House Historical Society (CHHS) now owns about 19 acres (7.7 hectares) around the Century House, where Jacob Lowe Snyder lived. This society runs the property as a museum. It teaches visitors about the house and the history of the American natural cement industry.
In its final years, Rosendale cement was mainly used to fix old buildings that had originally used it. When the factory closed, builders couldn't find the original material anymore. In 2004, a company called Edison Coatings, Inc., started making an authentic, historically accurate replacement called Rosendale Natural Cement Products.
Important Places to See
Many of the places in the district are special. None are listed separately on the National Register, except for parts of the old canal bed, which is a National Historic Landmark.
The Century House Historical Society (CHHS) runs the site as a museum. It's open to the public on Sunday afternoons in the summer. It's also known as the "Century House Historical Society Museum" and the "Snyder Estate Museum."
The Century House
Jacob Lowe Snyder's house, built in 1809, is the oldest building in the district. It was updated in the 1940s.
The house has a Cement Industry Museum. Here, you can see old tools and photos from the Rosendale cement industry. Rosendale Natural Cement was used in many famous buildings and structures. These include the Brooklyn Bridge, the base of the Statue of Liberty, parts of the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, Grand Central Terminal, the Croton Aqueduct, and the foundation of the Empire State Building. There's also a display of old horse-drawn carriages and sleighs.
Andrew J. Snyder I House
This house is also called the Ceramic Brick House. It was built in 1887 as a fancy Second Empire-style mansion. In 1950, its look was changed, and it was covered with colorful glazed bricks from England. Even with these changes, the house kept its historic importance because its original structure and inside layout are still there.
Old Canal Structures
Besides the canal bed, other parts of the canal system are still in the district. There's a weir (a small dam) next to it. West of Binnewater Road, you can find a reservoir that used to keep the canal full during dry times. The slip that the company built for Snyder is also still there. It might be the only original slip left from the canal's first construction.
Widow Jane Mine
The Widow Jane Mine is an old drift mine dug into one of the hills. It's the oldest cement mine on the property. Miners left pillars of rock to support the ceiling, making it look like a huge underground room. Most of the deeper parts of the mine are filled with water. But the entrance, with its pillars, is open for visitors. Many events, especially concerts, are held here in the summer because of the amazing sound.
