In 2016, two cement companies are observing milestones in history. I was fortunate to be invited to the 150th anniversary of Saylor Cement, 1866-2016, by Essroc of Nazareth, which continues to honor the Saylor name, and Buzzi-Unicem of Stockertown, which was Hercules Cement.

David Saylor, a local boy, saw the future of cement in the Lehigh Valley when he and some friends founded the Coplay Cement Manufacturing Company in Coplay. They utilized the abundant supply of cement rock in the area.

He was determined to make cement as good as and superior to the cement being produced in Europe. With his patent of Portland Cement in 1866, he was awarded a superior quality award at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.

The first cement was shipped in wooden barrels that were produced in a cooper shop operated by the company.

The historical Schoefer kilns at Saylor Park are the only remaining vertical kilns in the United States. Constructed in 1892, they give us a view of our past.

This writer has spoken to many of the former Coplay Cement Company employees who for years were listed as Local #14 United Cement Lime & Gypsum workers.

After a long and distinguished history, the Coplay Cement plant was in need of major renovations.

In 1976, the company was purchased by Paris-based Ciments Francais, which entered the American cement market. The cost to rebuild Coplay was prohibitive, so a new plant was constructed in Nazareth on the site of the old Nazareth Cement Company. The new plant was the most energy-efficient plant in North America.

Between 1990 and 1997, Ciments Francais plants in North America grouped under one name. In 1992, Italcementi Group purchased Ciments Francais, in 1997, Essroc materials became Essroc Cement Corp.

The corporate headquarters are housed in the “White House,” the former headquarters of the Penn Dixie Cement Company. The operation also includes property from the former Dexter, Phoenix and Lone Star cement companies. This encompasses many chapters of local cement history.

I have visited the Nazareth operations on many occasions, and the Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum in Northampton has helped to preserve their history with numerous artifacts of their historic past.