Bricks

[W. Gray]

Besides instituting paper cups, Samuel Crumbine also, according to the Spring 2011 KSHS Reflections issue, convinced the brick makers in Kansas to print in large letters on every brick they produced:

DON'T SPIT ON THE SIDE WALK

The photo shown in the issue is for a paving brick. I would be wondering if that former brick factory on US 160 near Peru joined in and did that.

Same for the factory in Moline. Back in 2006, DDurbin posted a long article about that brick factory which came from Iola and had a capacity of 50,000 bricks per day and had a rail spur built to the factory.

[readyaimduck]

There are bricks today that people have unearthed or on display.   There were factories in Benedict, Buffalo, Fredonia and yes, the name was imprinted. The Buffalo plant made a lot of bricks.  Don't have the time to do the research.
Find someone who actually had a hand in  making that brick with the name, and I bet 5$ they are in their 80's!
(Or, coffee at these days prices somewhere....on a brick road/sidewalk!)

[ddurbin]

I'm not deeply involved in this, but I have collected a few bricks imprinted with their SE Kansas manufacturing location.  Ones I have are from Independence, Buffalo, Coffeyville, Neodesha and Fredonia.  I've spotted a residential sidewalk in Moline that has some imprinted from Humboldt.  Haven't located one yet, but I imagine there are some from the Peru plant.  Have not run across any imprinted Moline, so don't know if any exist or not.
Any readers out there familiar with any other brick plants that put out imprinted bricks?

[Diane Amberg]

I don't know, but I do have one from my family's old place west of Howard that has sunflowers imprinted on it.

[W. Gray]

The April 2013 issue of the GEN-TREE, published by the Chautauqua County Historical and Genealogical Society, says that the Peru brick factory was started in the oil boom years of the county (early 1900s maybe).

The plant was a so-so operation until 1920 when new ownership made a better go of the operation but the new owner abruptly died and the operation was subsequently purchased by the "Ludiwici" Celadon Company.

The new company converted the plant to tile manufacturing operations (presumably roof tiles) and 125 men were employed at the factory in 1928.

No other information is provided by the GEN-TREE.

But a web site for the Ludowici Celadon Company in New Lexington, Ohio, says they had a tile making plant at both Coffeyville--formerly the Western Roofing and Tile Co--and at Peru.

The Peru operation was closed in the 1930s.

The Coffeyville plant went out in the 1950s.

[flintauqua]

Postcard image of Peru Brick Plant 1911, from an ebay auction:

[flintauqua]

And a site with several photos of the remains of the Peru Brick/Tile Plant, 100 years later:

http://www.americatheabandoned.com/the-peru-brick-plant/

[Diane Amberg]

I wonder where all the employees went when the plant shut down?

[ddurbin]

Maybe they followed the yellow brick road to greener lands.

[Diane Amberg]

Oh boo!