BRICK BLOG

VERMONT

2017-01-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

Here are photos of 3 different bricks found by Anthony E. He says he found the ATHERTON in an old abandoned town near Waterbury Reservoir, Vt.

--Don B., Webmaster

Evens & Howard, St. Louis

2016-03-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fire brick embossed with "EVENS & HOWARD ST. LOUIS." It measures 9 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches and was discovered in the surface locus (001) of Square 3. The brick was broken during the buildings demolition by Operation Greenlot. The Evens & Howard Fire Brick Company began operation in 1857 and continued to operate through the 1930s. Fire bricks are manufactured to withstand the stress of repeated heating and cooling. The clusters of bricks in Square 3 were related to a collapsed chimney.
(Photo from http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/Joplin.html)

Ellen Williams, Alabama, said... Recently I took the motar off approximately 800 bricks which came from my grandmothers old home. Some of them are marked, "Evens & Howard, St. Louis." Can you tell me when they company was in business? We think the home was built circa 1874.

* DK *

2013-05-11T00:17:00.004-04:00

We received an inquiry from Karl Kaufmann:

"I'm a mason here in CT. Know all the "regulars" but this one turned up in an old homeowner build brick pier that was hit by a car."

Here's a reply from our resident "guru" Fred R.:

Hi Karl,

This still a bit of a mystery brick. It was made along the Hudson R. just above Hudson (NY) 's North Bay. There were several brick companies located here and several working here at the same time. The other marked brands were Bartlett, and Atlas. Others operating nearby would include Arkison, Fitzgerald and Calarusso. Now all these five, that I mentioned, did make a marked brick.

A search of Hudson's city directories provides the names of operators and their approximate years of operation. Now, here is the problem. So far, I anyway, have not found mention of a Hudson ,or town of Greenport brick manufacturer, that would match the DK initials. There was a company named Uniform Sand and Clay that was listed with brick manufacturers .

... also Brisber and Greenport Brick Corp. Brisber and Greenport.... subsequently tied themselves to the ATLAS mark.

There is some speculation that DK may be the the mark of Uniform Brick and Clay .... BUT - that is speculation at this point, predicated upon the physical location of its scrap and the time (1905), DK became listed in the Directory. DK was last listed in 1906. Atlas Building and Material Works became listed in 1910 thus giving rise to the idea that Atlas ... took the place of Uniform Brick and Clay .

DK may turn out to be the mark of a distributor or mason supply yard in New York City.. ...

If a reader of this blog has some insight on this matter, feel free to share ....

Thank you for visiting - Fred

W S G

2013-03-06T22:00:00.001-05:00

Mike DoyleMarch 5, 2013 at 3:29 PM

I found a brick at low tide with W S G on Plum Island Newbury any ideas of from whwer it came

GOLDRICK

2013-01-08T21:12:00.002-05:00

Tim HurleyMay 14, 2012 2:00 PM

I live on the property that made "Goldrick" bricks and was just on the Saugerties historic home tour. There was a 90 year old woman at our house all day who worked down the road at Rose bricks and had so much great information about the brick life back then! I also found out Yankee Stadium was builkt with Goldrick Bricks! Here is my blog about it all...

http://timhurleyrealtorspace.blogspot.com/2012/05/life-in-my-historic-home.html

Sayre and Fisher: PHOENIX

2013-01-08T20:50:00.002-05:00

AnonymousJanuary 7, 2013 8:38 PM

We found a brick two days after hurricane sandy. According to officials the beach eroded and six feet of sand was gone. We found this brick underneath a rock it is from sayer Fischer company and the name Phoenix is in the middle. Do you know anything about this brick

BRECON

2012-07-29T18:53:00.002-04:00

Deb HartJuly 10, 2012 10:47 AM

I live in a 1800 century home and found bricks with the stamping "Brecon" I live in Mason OH 45040. Do you have any information about these bricks, value etc? thanks

ReplyDelete

LAYTON

2012-05-22T17:09:00.004-04:00

From Kelley:
This is for Diane Burger, who asked about the Layton brick a looong time ago (but it doesn't look as if anyone answered). Here's a few links regarding Layton fire clay bricks from someone who lives near Layton:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pittsburghrailfan/6808389128

Underhill

2012-04-22T12:55:00.001-04:00

AnonymousApr 18, 2012 02:18 PM

I read your piece on the Underhill bricks. The roof of the Chelsea hotel is covered with Underhill pavers, it is incredibly beautiful, a promenade with gardens on a rooftop in Manhattan. With new owners planning to build a 2 story structure on the roof with restaurant and bar, there are plans to destroy or cover bricks with tar as I am writing this. Right now the landmarks committee is deciding if they are to be saved. There is a movement to help save the roof, to keep it intact as intended by the original architects. I think the family of William A Underhill should be notified if possible--I saw one of the descendents wrote a piece.

GAUTIER

2012-04-14T23:28:00.001-04:00

David Bernstein Feb 11, 2012 05:10 AM Hi, While exploring an area in Rockaway New Jersey, I found a yellow brick with the inscription JH Gautier Co of Jersey City. Can you tell me anything about this company? Many thanks! David

FUD? FJD

2012-04-14T23:24:00.000-04:00

Anonymous Mar 18, 2012 12:57 PM we found some brick used in a 1920's house with FUD on them and i was wondering who is maker and what the stamp means.

Craigen Brick Company

2012-04-14T23:19:00.000-04:00

Pat Apr 12, 2012 04:58 PM I am the author of Aberdeen NJ Life, a blog about the township where Cliffwood is a subdivision. I am currently writing a blog article about Craigen Brick Company, of Cliffwood, which replaced Lenox Brick Company in 1916. I previously wrote an article about the Cliffwood Brick Company, an article that includes a photo of a brick from the remains of the brickyard. While researching on your site, I noticed that the Hudson River and New England Brick Collection page has a photo of what looks to me to be a Cliffwood Brick Co brick and has it labeled as a Champlain Brick Co brick that was found with Lenox bricks. Maybe you could compare my photo with the one on your site and see if the one identified as Champlain is really Cliffwood? Here's a link to my article. Check back soon for the article about Craigen. I'm putting the finishing touches on that one. Could I have permission to use your Lenox brick photo? Pat

A.P. Green

2012-04-09T21:25:00.002-04:00

AnonymousOct 3, 2011 06:35 PM

I have found a piece of brick in a mountain in Argentina where I live. The brick is stamped with A.P green in the first line and green tex in the second one. I was wondering how could this brick end up in Argentina and what could have been used for.

TUTTLE, SULLIVAN

2012-04-02T22:14:00.002-04:00

Clarke02459Mar 24, 2012 06:44 PM

1. When did Tuttle stop putting their name on bricks?
2. I came across some bricks stamped Sullivan Brick Co. Any idea where they are from? Could be from a 1900 hen house.

ARROW, REMMEY PHILA

2012-04-02T22:09:00.000-04:00

AnonymousMar 25, 2012 01:34 PM

mt. holly, n.j. - while tearing down on old outdoor fireplace I was able to salvage a few of the bricks. They are rather large bricks and actually look to be made of a material similar to white faience pottery clay. many of the bricks are stamped ARROW and what looks to be PEMMEY PHILA under the name Arrow. I've searched all types of combinations of the words but nothing pops-up. anybody have any information on these bricks? Thanks in advance.

OHIO

2012-04-02T22:01:00.002-04:00

AnonymousMar 28, 2012 05:31 PM

I found a brick in the backyard of an old house that says Ohio embossed in the center. Does anyone know who manufactured it? I've seen one other in person and both are in original condition, almost as if they were more for decoration than utility. Here is a link to the same brick owned by someone else:

http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.213981327.jpg

FREEMAN

2012-04-02T21:54:00.003-04:00

AnonymousMar 30, 2012 10:17 AM

I found some bricks in the woods behind my house while metal detecting, they were red with the word freeman on them. I live in Western Pa. I'd like to know how old they are.

Coffeyville VB & T Co

2012-03-22T22:26:00.001-04:00

KellyMar 15, 2012 11:27 AM

I came across 150 Coffeyville VB & T Co. red pavers which look to be never used, but have been sitting around for a lot of years. Can you tell me approximately when they were made? Thanks.

JMC

2012-03-22T21:30:00.002-04:00

DennieMar 19, 2012 02:32 PM

After my father died, we found a briefcase of his,which had two bricks in it. they have "JMC"
on them. My mother had no knowledge of them.
Anyone have any thoughts? Dennie

JJJ

2012-02-25T17:54:00.002-05:00

AnonymousFeb 22, 2012 07:40 PM

Hi, I live in New Windsor, NY and I found several old bricks with JJJ inscription, in the woods behind my house. I saw they are from the Jova family brickworks. The ones I have are almost mint just weathered. They are the same as the #3 you have in your collection. Can you tell me how old they are and if they are worth anything

Thanks for any info you can give me,

Helene

Worked at JOVA yard

2012-02-14T15:17:00.001-05:00

JackH46Feb 12, 2012 04:14 PM

I am originally from Newburgh, NY and am related to the Jova family. My grandmother's sister was married to Joseph Jova who I assume, was one of the "Jova Boys". The timeline might be right, though Uncle Joe might have been a grandson. He would have been born in the late 1800's.

I worked at the brickyard one summer between high school and college. I was a member of a seven or eight member "gang" who packed brick into the stacks that were strapped and shipped. We worked from 6 AM until 2:30 PM or whenever we packed 100,000 brick for the day. We also received a pay differential if we had to pack hot brick. We wore heavy duty leather mitts. Bathroom breaks were not encouraged. We drank water by a ladle out of a bucket. The jig in which we had to pack a 7-9 brick "line" was moved along every 10-15 seconds. It was great money for an eighteen year old, but very tough work. I drove home every day covered in red dust.

A high school buddy and his wife stayed with us on their travels. He gave me a "Jova" brick that he found since he worked on the construction of the Danskammer power plant. I've been back once or twice, but I could not find anything I recognized.

I enjoyed reading your site.

Jack Hornbeck, Norfolk, VA

Duffney "Cross"

2012-01-08T21:30:00.002-05:00

standup2p said...

Does anyone know the genisis of the cross in the ?? on Duffney Bricks

CBMA

2012-01-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

If you are curious about the "cross" or rope and pulley symbol found on some branded brick, it is the mark of the Common Brick Manufacturers Association (CBMA).

If members dues were paid up, they were allowed to use the mark.
Fred Rieck told me there was an instance, where a once upon a time CBMA member (a manufacturer) who was not up-to-date on dues had to chisel the symbol out of his molds, leaving a patchy rectangle molded into the brick where the symbol had been.

J D

2012-01-08T21:10:00.002-05:00

KA-TON-KA said...

Thanks for the website. I have 3 JD bricks I'm trying to ID. Graves Brick Brands has LA, NJ, & NY as possibles. Andy has J D John Derbyshire A Haverstraw listed but no photo. Could I get his email to send my pix for a positive ID? My email is entpha@gmail.com.

Thanks,

John Langston IBCA 1145

CT&BCo

2012-01-08T21:04:00.001-05:00

josh said...

Hi

I found a brick under my house in Minnesota that says CT&BCo The letters are pressed in and not raised. I havent been able to find any info on the manufacturer. Any info would help.

Thanks