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Round Top Cement Mill c. 1871. Smoke is coming from the limestone kilns that were housed under a wood and possibly metal awning to keep out the weather. The line stretched across the water is a cable that transported the packed cement barrels to the B & O Railroad for transport.
127.4 Mile
NPS File 1445
See also Round Top Cement, 1863
The Round Top Cement Mill was constructed in 1837 by George Shafer and was sold to Robert Bridges and Charles W. Henderson in 1863. The cement mill would burn to the ground and be rebuilt in 1846, 1897, and lastly in 1903. During the time the mill was operating, it claimed to produce up to 300 barrels a day of natural rock cement with a crew between 50–100 men. The cement was used up and down the Potomac Valley, especially during the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. It wasn’t long after the 1903 fire and the construction of the Western Maryland Railway that the company officially ceased operations.