My campaign to save my house from the tax man continues. Everyday I hear of foreclosures. There are many who would think buying a foreclosed house to be a bargain. I don't think I could do that. In so many cases, the folks who cannot pay their mortgages are behind in payments because of rising medical bills, job loss, energy prices... things beyond their control. And sometimes it seems there is no way out. When things start slipping, we assume things will get better, a new job, lower gas prices, we won't get sick. Many sell out and move in with relatives. And some just keep hanging on. And then the tax man or bank man commith.
I am a potter. I work with earth. I work with my hands. Pottery today is a lot easier than in 1629. I do not dig and mix my own clay. I do not have a wood kiln. I have tested these things but in today's world of competition and the type of pottery I make, electricity and clay processors make my life so much easier and the end product almost.. just almost.. the same.
In Salem MA
"It is thought here is a good clay to make bricke, and Tyles and Earthen pots, as need be. At this instant, we are setting a brick-kill on worke to make Brickes and Tyles for the building of our houses."
Yes, there are brick collectors. http://brickcollecting.com/ A friend of mine, Frank Clement in Orchard Park NY, http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/mat/brk/clement/clemtc.html, showed me many of these bricks with foot prints. Sometimes workers on their breaks would scratch pitchers and sayings into the bricks lying out to dry. Unfortunately, one must take apart a whole building to find the foot prints or sayings as they are usually on the flat side of the brick.. the side that has been mortared to the brick on top or below the foot print. I hesitate to start taking apart my brick house to find the collectible dog foot print, but I have search the loose ones in the attic with no success.
The English had made roof tiles and chimney pots in England, and so the early settlers thought they would work here. Roof "tyles" did not meet with success in New England. Red clay tends to crack and flake in the winter as you may have noticed if you ever left a flower pot outside over the winter. Clay tiles and thatch gave way to wood shakes and slate tiles.
As I mentioned, the bricks are a little smaller than today. Mine are 7 1/2" x 3 1/2"x 2", today's bricks are 9"x4"x2". My bricks also have bits of stones, shells, other mystery ingredients, holes, folds, pits and they are a bit warped. Charming. Colors of the finished bricks varied by where they were in relation to the heat source, how hot they got and what was in the clay. Sidney Portier stared in a great movie about brick making by Hallmark films.. "The last brickmaker in America". The bricks were the kiln. http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/winter05-06/brickmaker_slideshow/#
My two story house 30' x 20' would have over 19,000 bricks in its walls. At $350 per thousand bricks at today's rate, this would cost around $6650 at today's prices... but then it would take more than a few hours to mortar and place each one while keeping an eye out for dog prints. And not brick-faced building mind you, two courses thick and two chimneys. I wonder how long it did take the Birges to build this house in 1820?
The town of Torrington just tore down its 1898 brick train station in one day. It takes a lot longer to build things than tear them down.
I am still working on my project. Keep tuned in to see what develops.
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It turns out the Birge family who built my house had their own brick yard. Most of the clay in New England will turn out red when heated over 1000 degrees. We have a lot of iron in the ground which contaminates the weathered feldspar, that of which makes up most clays. Some people call it "blue clay" as it looks blueish grey in the ground, some looks grey, some looks red from the start. The clay was dug out of a pit where feldspar had been broken down into the soft gooey stuff and mixed with water to form a sludge. Then a horse, mule or oxen was coaxed into walking in circles for hours,spinning a blade in the large bin of clay sludge till it was consistent. Then the clay is screened, dried a little and put aside to age. Bricks were made with wooden molds. Early bricks were smaller then common bricks today, but standard sizes were not followed. The stiff clay was formed in the molds and set outside in the sun to dry. Often, sheep, dogs, cats, children, birds walked over the bricks. These special bricks are coveted by brick collectors.
Yes, there are brick collectors. http://brickcollecting.com/ A friend of mine, Frank Clement in Orchard Park NY, http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/mat/brk/clement/clemtc.html, showed me many of these bricks with foot prints. Sometimes workers on their breaks would scratch pitchers and sayings into the bricks lying out to dry. Unfortunately, one must take apart a whole building to find the foot prints or sayings as they are usually on the flat side of the brick.. the side that has been mortared to the brick on top or below the foot print. I hesitate to start taking apart my brick house to find the collectible dog foot print, but I have search the loose ones in the attic with no success.
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| English Chimney pots. |
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| Colonial Williamsburg |
As I mentioned, the bricks are a little smaller than today. Mine are 7 1/2" x 3 1/2"x 2", today's bricks are 9"x4"x2". My bricks also have bits of stones, shells, other mystery ingredients, holes, folds, pits and they are a bit warped. Charming. Colors of the finished bricks varied by where they were in relation to the heat source, how hot they got and what was in the clay. Sidney Portier stared in a great movie about brick making by Hallmark films.. "The last brickmaker in America". The bricks were the kiln. http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/winter05-06/brickmaker_slideshow/#
My two story house 30' x 20' would have over 19,000 bricks in its walls. At $350 per thousand bricks at today's rate, this would cost around $6650 at today's prices... but then it would take more than a few hours to mortar and place each one while keeping an eye out for dog prints. And not brick-faced building mind you, two courses thick and two chimneys. I wonder how long it did take the Birges to build this house in 1820?
The town of Torrington just tore down its 1898 brick train station in one day. It takes a lot longer to build things than tear them down.
I am still working on my project. Keep tuned in to see what develops.
Want me to send you an email notice of my next post? Sign up right here:
Subscribe to I saved a homestead by Email
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