Shaws Flat

The Engler Lime and Brick Kilns

The Engler Lime and Brick Kilns were built in 1852 and have provided bricks for numerous buildings throughout the Mother Lode. Here, local limestone was quarried and then slacked in the kilns, producing a mixture used for grout before cement was available. The red lateritic soil of the area was excellent for brick making, and many of the buildings in Sonora and Columbia were made from bricks fired in this stonebrick, now topless, dome structure. The kilns are located on the east side of the Shaws Flat Road, north of Hwy 49.