Over four generations ago...
Mankato Kasota Stone, Incorporated has been a vital part of
Minnesota’s quarrying history since the 1880s. In 1885, T. R. Coughlan arrived
in the Mankato region to seek out a suitable quarry site. Formerly a stonemason
in Ireland and a bridge builder in Canada, Coughlan had become familiar with
Mankato area limestone through his work with Thomas Saulpaugh in Minnesota. By
1885, the T. R. Coughlan Company was manufacturing building stones for railroad
bridges along the expanding Midwest lines. As of 1890, the T. R. Coughlan
Company, now one of the largest limestone firms in the area, was providing
building stones, sidewalk pavers and curbs, and dolomitic lime for construction
projects throughout the Midwest. Daniel Coughlan, T. R.’s older brother, came
from New Brunswick, Canada, to operate the quarry during this expansion.
The T. R. Coughlan Company was formally incorporated in 1911 with T. R.
Coughlan’s son, T. Merritt Coughlan becoming the new president. In 1922 T.
Merritt Coughlan bought the company from T. R. Coughlan. He expanded the line
of building materials to include crushed rock, brick, tiles, plaster, and
cement products. Throughout the early 1900s, the advent of concrete as a
building material led to a decline in the use of limestone. By 1915, many
quarries in the Mankato area had closed. The varied products produced by the T.
R. Coughlan Company enabled them to survive the depressed conditions of the
market during World War I.
Following WWI, the T. R. Coughlan Company began to produce ornamental
facing stone and small structural building blocks. Sales increased rapidly, and
a national market developed. The limestone business rebounded and production
ran day and night during the 1920s. This boom continued until the Depression
during the early 1930s. T. M. Coughlan organized the Mankato Lime Company
during the 1930s to offset the slowing limestone market, and produced hydrated
lime until the business closed about 1939.
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