I didn't even know what Hessian is so I did a quick search on Petrified Hessian and there's a conversation here about it that includes many links for those interested. Burlap was everywhere back in the day as most feed bags were burlap, but no longer are.
When I was a child, many decades ago, there were still a few structures around on various farms that dated from the time of the Depression and that were largely built out of a substance called petrified hessian (hessian being what Americans call burlap).
To build these structures, a wooden frame would be constructed and then hessian (burlap) would nailed to the frame whilst being stretched tight. The hessian would then be painted with a mixture made up of water, alum, cement, salt and lime. After about 3-5 coats of this mix, the structure would be weather proof and the walls stiff and surprisingly durable (given that even I can remember them and I wasn't born till after WWII). It was a very cheap form of putting up shelter and seems to have been used for poultry sheds and similar structures.
To build these structures, a wooden frame would be constructed and then hessian (burlap) would nailed to the frame whilst being stretched tight. The hessian would then be painted with a mixture made up of water, alum, cement, salt and lime. After about 3-5 coats of this mix, the structure would be weather proof and the walls stiff and surprisingly durable (given that even I can remember them and I wasn't born till after WWII). It was a very cheap form of putting up shelter and seems to have been used for poultry sheds and similar structures.
Terry in AZ (smart enough to use Google!)
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