History of the American Natural Cement Conference
The First American Natural Cement Conference was held in Rosendale, NY, in March, 2005. It included visits to a former natural cement mine and kiln, historical presentations on the natural cement industry and its influences on the building of 19th Century America, material demonstrations, and technical presentations on performance, chemistry, geology, petrography and restoration practices.
The Second American Natural Cement Conference was held from March 30 - April 1, 2006 in Washington, DC. The Second American Natural Cement Conference brought this core knowledge to a widening range of restoration industry professionals, while expanding on the foundations built during the First Conference. 100 participants from 6 countries enjoyed lectures, tours, demonstrations and visits to natural cement historic sites.
The Nation’s Capitol was chosen as the site of the conference due to its rich history of natural cement use, including many of our most revered historic buildings, structures and monuments. In addition, the Potomac River Valley was the third largest center for production of natural cement, following Louisville, KY (approximately double the output of the Potomac) and Rosendale, NY (double the output of Louisville).
The Conference Program explored remnants of the region’s natural cement industry as well as its natural cement engineering and architectural legacy to provide participants with a unique experience, rich in both content and context.
