Near the woods by Wal Mart there is an area recently cleared. It looks like a little park of years past. There are some concrete-looking blocks that make a little fence. They are made from shellcrete. This was an innovative building material from 150 or more years ago. Adobe brick could not survive the moisture of South Texas. Trees for home construction were scarce, so shellcrete was born. There are still remains of buildings made of this material. One is at Lamar near Goose Island State Park.
I am certainly not one to explain the process. I will give it a try, after reading the information at the previously mentioned site. Shellcrete is made from oyster shell, with lime, sand and water. Oyster shell is gathered and burned for several days. Lime comes to the surface of those shells. They are then crushed into small pieces. The lime, shell, water, and sand are mixed and then put in block-like forms to harden. That makes the shellcrete. I left details out but I think that is the basic process.
Isn't it amazing how folks have used their minds and backs in years past to come up with ways of doing and building! God put all the ingredients down here for us to do most anything we've a mind to. What a great world He made!
