Glens Falls-Capital Region Construction Materials Company Jointa Lime Marks 175 Years Building Local Communities
Accomplishment Recognized with Inclusion on New York State Historic Business Preservation Registry
When Jointa Lime Company was founded in Glens Falls in 1851, roads were unpaved, Millard Filmore was in the White House, and the Civil War was more than a decade away. Little did the founders know that the business would still be going strong and helping build highways and infrastructure across the region 175 years later.
As company leaders and employees celebrate this milestone anniversary this year, they do so with a deep respect for the past while always planning for the future. Part of the Wilton-based D.A. Collins Companies since 1988, Jointa Lime has grown and diversified significantly over the past two decades. The company continues to operate a ready-mix concrete plant in Glens Falls through its Jointa Galusha subsidiary, as well as Jointa Lime hot-mix asphalt plants in Plattsburgh and Newburgh, and stone quarries for aggregate and other commercial and ornamental products in Washington, Saratoga, Essex and Clinton counties. In recent years, the company has also built a rapidly growing business in civil, industrial, and commercial paving services.
Jointa Lime also has a comprehensive employee and community safety program, and embraces the importance of sustainability through recycling initiatives, including the use of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP), and manufacturing techniques that minimize fuel consumption.
On Friday, July 24, Joint Lime was honored with inclusion on the New York State Historic Business Preservation Registry. State Assembly Member Carrie Woerner nominated the company for the honor and presented its official certificate at a special anniversary event attended by company leaders, employees, customers and community leaders at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls. Among the many guests was Richard Keenan, great-great-grand nephew of company co-founder John Keenan. Richard traveled all the way from his home in the Village of Castledawson in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, specifically for the event.
Jointa Lime Vice President John Davidson said, “The story of Jointa Lime is a story of entrepreneurial spirit, continuous evolution and growth, and a deep commitment to safety, quality products and services, and unparalleled customer satisfaction. But no business prospers for 175 years without dedicated, skilled employees — including multi-generation families — all pulling in the same direction to deliver quality on every front. They’re the key to our continuing success.”
D.A. Collins Companies President David Collins said, “Jointa Lime was family-owned for generations before being acquired by our family-owned company in 1988. I’m a passionate family business person, and whenever you have a family business that stands the test of time and succeeds generation after generation after generation, it’s truly extraordinary and something that we’re all very proud of.”
The origins of Jointa Lime extend back two decades before the formation of the company when, in 1831, Irish immigrant John Keenan arrived in Washington County, bringing generations of family expertise in quarrying, stonework and lime burning. Attracted by the region’s rich limestone deposits, Keenan began mining the stone from a quarry in the hamlet of Smith’s basin and burning it to create lime, an essential ingredient in the mortar being used to build communities across the northeast. Keenan shipped his product via the Champlain Canal to the Capital District and on to New York City.
In 1851, Keenan joined with Glens Falls attorney and business leader Halsey R. Wing, a descendant of Glens Falls’ founder Abraham Wing, to form Jointa Lime Company and began cultivating the limestone deposit along the Hudson River in the area of what is now Warren Street. The Jointa name was derived from the term “hard jointer,” which was given to a particular type and quality of limestone deposit first discovered by quarry workers in Rhode Island in the mid-1600s. Jointa Lime Company quickly became an important part of the state’s industrial economy. In addition to building materials, the company’s lime was in great demand for agriculture, paper manufacturing, leather processing, sugar refining and numerous other industries.
As construction methods changed during the 20th century, Jointa shifted from producing lime to crushed stone and aggregates. Later, it expanded into hot-mix asphalt and ready-mix concrete production, along with today’s paving services. Jointa Lime today operates with GPS-guided equipment, automated systems, and advanced production technology for quality products and safe industrial operations —a far cry from the horse-drawn equipment and canal boats that defined its earliest years.
John Davidson said, “Every time you see our asphalt paving a highway, or our aggregates and concrete forming a foundation, you are looking at products and manufacturing techniques that have been refined across centuries. Jointa Lime has evolved time and time again, from the horse-and-buggy era through every economic boom and bust the country could throw at us.
ABOUT D.A. COLLINS COMPANIES: From humble roots, D.A. Collins has grown to represent union and open shop affiliations and maintains a $98 million equipment fleet, 5 asphalt plants, 6 quarries, 2 pits, 2 fixed concrete plants, a portable concrete plant, a precast facility, and a QC/QA lab with three satellite labs We celebrated our 75th anniversary in 2023 under a third-generation member of the Collins family, but our success is found by our innovative team, safety mission, and high-quality materials.
