Olema Lime Kilns

The Olema Lime Kilns are three ruined lime kilns of rough-hewn gray stone set against a hillside on the east side of Olema Creek. Each has a rectangular outer casing of cut limestone around a barrel-shaped interior; Kiln No. 2, the largest, keeps a well-preserved arched entrance about six feet wide at its base. Kiln No. 1 was loaded with limestone but never fired.

James A. Shorb and William F. Mercer, two San Francisco entrepreneurs, built the kilns in 1850 on land leased from Mexican grantee Rafael Garcia. They fired the kilns only a few times before abandoning them by 1855, likely because the limestone deposits were small and of poor quality and because of the financial depression of that year. The kilns mark a Gold Rush-era attempt to establish a lime-producing industry in Marin County, only two years after Alta California was ceded to the United States.

The kilns were built on land leased from Mexican grantee Rafael Garcia, two years after Alta California passed to the United States. Kiln No. 3 lost its entire arched entrance before 1940, when it was removed and rebuilt in Bolinas as part of a barbecue pit. Moss-covered stones were also taken from the ruins for rock gardens, fireplaces and walls.

The kilns are located about five miles south of Olema near the coast, accessible via California State Highway 1 and a short scenic drive into the national park area. Visitors should move carefully around the ruins since the structures are fragile and climbing on them is not permitted.

The arched entrance of Kiln No. 3 was dismantled before 1940 and rebuilt in Bolinas as part of a barbecue pit, and moss-covered stones were taken from the kilns for rock gardens, fireplaces and walls. Kiln No. 1 was still loaded with limestone when abandoned, so its interior was never measured.