NASBRO

NAME: Nasbro
COUNTY: Dodge
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 9
CLIMATE: hot summers, cold winters
BEST TIME TO VISIT: anytime
COMMENTS: 3 miles west of Lomira on the west side of County Road Y north of Knowles in Lomira township. Nasbro still exists. There are two residents left, Albert and Gloria Valley, who have lived there since 1924. They were married in 1949. They live in the only one of 22 houses that were on the property. The rest were destroyed by the company once the residents left. They donated them to the Fire Department for practice fires.

Carlos Munoz
REMAINS: Five stone lime kilns

Back in the 1920's up to around the 1970's there use to be a mill town where they mined and processed lime in lime kilns. The quarry was ran and owned by the Nast brothers (hence the name Nasbro) and later by Standard Oil. Now it is owned by Halquist Stone out of Sussex and it is still a quarry. No houses remain. All that's left are five stone lime kilns. At its peak it had about a dozen houses, a store, and maybe a tavern. Pictures are of Nasbro from atop one of the lime kilns, and of the Standard Gas kiln that replaced the stone kilns. Submitted by: N. Schwartz

Lime production is evident as early as the 1870's before it was known as Nasbro.  It was first owned by Gustave Rusch, then mined by Julian Andrea.   At one time almost a dozen houses including a boarding house for employees were there.  Fifety residents once inhabited Nasbro.  Nasbro is somewhat responsible for the founding of Knowles because of the railroad that ran through both towns.  Ownership changed hands between Standard Lime Co. and Western Lime & Cement Co. until at least the 1940's. Others have owned it until the present.  The town slowly began to shrink and the railroad now doesn't run through neither Nasbro or Knowles.  Some house foundations may remain but the would be grown over as is the whole site except for the current mine.  The name Nasbro was derived from the NASt BROthers who once owned the mine.

Submitted by: Nate S.


Nasbro from atop kiln
Courtesy N. Schwartz


Standard Gas Kiln
Courtesy N. Schwartz


Rebuilding after fire in 1925
Courtesy Joel Valle


1925 Western Lime Crew
Courtesy Joel Valle


Western Lime Nasbro Kilns today
Courtesy Joel Valle


Nasbro Kilns 1920
Courtesy Joel Valle


Standard Lime & Stone
Courtesy Joel Valle


1913 in front of Boarding house
Courtesy Joel Valle


Gas fired kilns under construction
Courtesy Joel Valley

 BACK