website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Watertown Brick
1848 Note
on brick making and building
Our Village – It is gratifying, and speaks well for
the preserving industry and enterprise of our citizens, to see the extensive
preparations that are being made to “go ahead” in almost every department of
improvement, in every quarter of our village.
Lumber and brick – don’t start Milwaukee!
We have got real bona fide Watertown brick, just as
good as – It’s a fact. True, we have not
built up a “Queen City” here yet, but if the manufacture of brick can elevate a
place to majesty (which of course you will not deny). Watertown is already a princess royal.
Lumber and brick, we say [see], are piled high upon a
great many hitherto vacant lots, and a number of active laborers are at work,
“digging into the bowels of the earth,” not in search of “villainous
salt-peter,” but for the peaceful purpose of excavating cellars.
The number of buildings which will be erected during
the current year will be greater than during any former two or three years; and
many of them will add much to the appearance of our village. Among them will be the
steam grist mill of Messrs Cole and Bailey, which has already ‘broke
ground,’ and is advancing on the most modern and approved “progressive
principles.”
1848
01 12 The second brick house in this village has
just received its roof. It is owned and
was built by Mr. Alonzo Platt, is 20 by 30 feet, two stories high, and is
situated on Western Avenue. The first
brick house built here is on the same street - the two showing off to much
advantage in that sparsely settled portion of our town. In digging his well, Mr. P. struck a spring
of fine water, and now has an abundance supply of that commodity under his
roof. Watertown Chronicle
[NOTE: It is uncertain if this is the same Alonzo
Platt, who in 1828 arrived in the area that became Platteville and he becoming
a prominent citizen, but it is doubtful as the Platte River was so named before
his arrival there]
1854
1861
02 06 Sold Out --
We are informed that the brick makers have sold all the brick they had on hand
when winter set in, and only wish they had more to fill the orders they daily
receive. A large amount of building will
be commenced here and in the surrounding country when spring opens. This will give employment to mechanics and
make lively times. WD
1871
11 22 Brick --
The season just closing has been a lively one for our manufacturers of
brick. The demand for the beautiful
cream colored brick, for which Watertown is so noted, has been increasing from
year to year, and next season will witness a large increase of business in this
line over any former year, owing to the activity and building that is expected
in all quarters. Our brick manufacturers
are making extensive preparations to meet the extra demand for the brick the
coming season, and several yards in the city will be working to their full
capacity. WR
1879
Block, August, Sr (Wilhelmina) 1879, d. 1878,
flour, feed, saloon, brickyard business
1881
Brick-making
business started by Cordes and Terbrueggen
1898
08 03 VITRIFIED
BRICK vs. MACADAM STREET
It will be noticed by last night's proceedings of the
common council, forty-three property holders have signed a remonstrance against
improving Main Street with a vitrified brick pavement. It is held that macadam will answer every
demand and be considerably cheaper. The
petitioners ask that, before the work of paving is started, comparative
estimates of brick and macadam be furnished.
In some quarters it is held that this move was started by persons who
are against any sort of paving, but the petitioners will present, on the other
hand, that they favor judicious street improvement . . . Vitrified brick is a
pavement guaranteed to last for years, when properly laid. Nearly all cities doing permanent street work
where asphalt is not employed are utilizing brick, and in every instance it has
proved a success . . . When the
comparative worth of macadam and brick is considered, the difference in the
cost is very slight. WR
08 04 CHANGED
HIS MIND
A gentleman who signed the petition presented to the
city council Tuesday evening, advocating macadam pavement for Main street,
stated to a Times reporter this
afternoon that he would withdraw his name from the paper and knew of others who
wished to do the same. He said that when
signing the paper he did so on the spur of the moment, but now states that he
is not in favor of macadam on Main Street at any price.
Street Paving.
The city council should not allow persons who happen to own property on
a street which it is intended to pave to have all the say
as to what kind of paving should be used.
It must be remembered that the city stands a portion of the expense and
the whole city is directly interested as well as the property owners. There has been plenty of testimony appearing in
the press of this city with regard to the excellence of brick paving and the
columns of the Times are open to anyone who can show any reason why macadam
paving should be used. If the owners of
property on Main Street who desire macadam paving have reasons for it, let them
state them. They failed to do so in the petition to the council. WR
1899
06 20 TESTING
BRICK BY CHIPPING
Contractor Schoenlaub
makes the complaint that people are in the habit of testing the quality of the
brick being used for the street pavement.
Chipping these bricks does not make them suitable for usage and the cost
of them is 1 ½ cents apiece. It does not
amount to much if one brick is chipped, but in the long run it is a great
loss. Prosecution will follow if this
practice continues. WR
1890c
Brick
yard workers
1901
Two brick yards are located
at this place, one of which is owned by L. H.
Cordes and Company and the other by Cordes, Vaughn and Company. Both are now being operated under the
management of L. H. Cordes and Company.
The combined output of the
two yards is in the neighborhood of five million brick per year. The stock is graded and sold as common,
chimney, sidewalk, well, and veneering brick.
The clay at this place has a
total thickness of about twenty-five feet.
The upper four or five feet contains a considerable percentage of sand
and has a yellow color. The remaining
twenty feet has a blue color and contains much less sand. The bank is now worked to a depth of about
ten or twelve feet and the yellow and blue clays are mixed together in equal
proportions.
To the clay as it comes from
the bank about one-fifth sand is added.
The clay is run through a crusher and then soaked for twenty-four hours
in vats. The brick are moulded in soft mud machines, operated by steam power,
dried in hacks on the yard, and burned in scove
kilns.
The clay from this bank is very
free from gravel and was at one time used in the manufacture of pottery.
The clay which occurs at the
yard owned by Cordes, Vaughn and Company is essentially the same as that at the
yard just described.
The brick which are
manufactured from this clay have a white or cream color and are among the more
desirable products of the calcareous clay region. Besides building brick, the clay is
undoubtedly suitable for the manufacture of some of the commoner kinds of
earthenware such as flower pots.
2010
05 20 Original
Watertown bricks that lined former front walk of Octagon House replaced by stamped concrete; bricks offered for
sale.
Cross References:
Cordes, Louis, profile of
Terbrueggen, Joseph, 1912, Obit; for about 30 years was
a member of the brick manufacturing firm of L. H. Cordes & Co.
Boomer and Quentmeyer: Brick making
business
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin