Tour District with App

Photo of actual tour of Lime Works district

Through a new partnership between the Friends and Mobile Ranger, you can now tour the Cowell Lime Works Historic District via your iPhone or Android mobile device. The tour is illustrated with contemporary and historic photographs and includes updates and new stops not on earlier tours. To download the free tour, visit the Mobile Ranger web site.

Discover the History

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Lime was manufactured in the late 1800s and early 1900s on the land that is now home to the University of California, Santa Cruz. The historic district that the Friends of the Lime Works supports includes four lime kilns, the cooperage (where barrels were made), the hay barn, cookhouse, limeworker cabins, Cardiff house, and many other historic structures. Learn more about the history of the land in the district. Watch»

Cooperage Update

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A generous anonymous gift is helping UC Santa Cruz honor its history, reimagine the entrance to campus, and create a unique meeting and event space for the campus and the greater community. The gift is intended to lead and jumpstart fundraising to support the rehabilitation of what is known as the Cowell Ranch Cooperage, one of the oldest buildings on the UC Santa Cruz campus. Go to this page to read about the project, view an informational video, and make your own donation in support of the project.

We need your help

Make a donation

The Cowell Lime Works Historic District needs your help with monetary donations and donations in kind to help restore the historic structures, or volunteer services to assist in reconstruction and interpretation of district history.

Please consider joining us!

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The Lime Kiln Chronicles