COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (AP) - A landmark Minnesota limestone kiln, built before the Civil War, has collapsed because of flooding.

After near-record rainfall and floodwaters from a Mississippi River channel lapping at its foundation, three walls of the Grey Cloud Lime Kiln in Cottage Grove toppled in a heap of rubble.

Reports say the kiln was believed to have been built in 1846 to process limestone and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The limestone was reduced into a powder called quicklime used in fertilizer, plaster and mortar. By 1902, the kiln closed and the fires stopped.

The kiln overlooks Grey Cloud Island channel. It was added to the National Register in 1978. With the collapse, the structure's future as a protected piece of history is now in question.

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