Program on Famous Rosendale Mine Opens Cave House Season

HOWES CAVE—A free program on the geology and history of the famous Rosendale cement industry kicks off the 2026 season of The Cave House Museum of Mining and Geology in Howes Cave.

The program will be offered on Sunday, June 14 at the museum, which is adjacent to the Cobleskill Stone Products quarry. Museum hours are from noon to 4 p.m. The program, about an hour in length, starts at 2 p.m.

Guest speaker Steven Schimmrich is a professor of geology at SUNY Ulster County Community College and the author of “Geology of the Hudson Valley: A Billion Years of History.”

According to a press release, before the Portland cement used today, there was “natural cement,” and the Rosendale mine in central Ulster County was among the first in the nation, beginning in the late 1820s. The product was so widely used that the name “Rosendale” became synonymous with natural cement. The Howes Cave quarries produced natural cement for about 20 years, beginning in 1865.

“By the late 19th century, the Rosendale cement district produced more than 50 percent of all cement used in the U.S.,” according to guest speaker Schimmrich.

Rosendale cement was used in such iconic structures as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the U.S. Capitol.

The museum is located at 136 Blowing Rock Road, Howes Cave. Other free programs are scheduled at The Cave House on the second Sundays of July, August and September.

The Cave House is where the remarkable story of the famous caverns, quarry and community begins, officials said. Built of stone from the quarry in 1872, it once served as a hotel that welcomed visitors to the cave. As a museum, the Cave House showcases the area’s geology, caves, and quarrying industry, past and present.

This museum-in-the-making is a nonprofit, New York State-chartered educational institution that promotes a greater understanding of the importance that local and regional geology and mining plays in our lives, officials said.

Donations are greatly appreciated and are tax free. They may be sent to The Cave House of Mining and Geology, 112 Rock Road, Cobleskill.