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Gallant Dickenson and Amos Lowrey

History

During the summer of 1847, Gallant Dickenson and Amos Lowrey, both from Missouri, took the clay from the grounds of the present high school on Hermann Drive, Monterey, and fired them into common brick in a crude kiln. The bricks were transported to Decatur Street, where Dickenson's built his tiny two-story house. Before the house could be finished, the gold rush called and they never returned to Monterey to finish the house. Dickenson's house was purchased by Patrick Breen in 1851. It was later owned by Maria Garcia who ran a popular restaurant known as "Garcia's Spanish Food." Today, this house is preserved in the Monterey State Historic Park and is being used as a museum about the first brick building in Monterey. Because this brick house has survived, it now has the distinction of being the "first brick house in California."


Monterey's first brick house made of Dickenson-Lowrey brick.


Dickenson-Lowrey Brick


Dickenson-Lowrey bricks on the side wall of his brick house in Monterey.


Common brick is light orange, orange red, and light brown, showing the various firing stages. Visible white, yellow, and gray clasts on the surface, which are up to a half inch across. Rough surface texture with abundant holes and pits. Irregular edges and rounded or broken corners. No lip present. Fine lines or mold marks are visible on the sides running longitudinal or at angles relative to the top edge. Top face display longitudinal strike marks. Bottom face is smooth and pitted. Hand-molded, water-struck, soft-mud process. The brick is light and porous and weathers easily. Length 8 1/2 - 8 3/4, width 4 1/4 - 4 3/8, height 2 1/8 - 2 1/4.


Dickenson-Lowrey bricks showing the face.


Dickenson-Lowrey bricks on the corner of the brick house.

Source

Alta California. San Francisco, CA, September 8, 1847.

Hoover, Mildred B., Rensch, Hero E., Rensch, Ethel G., Abeloe, William N., and Kyle, Douglas E. Historic Spots in Califoria. Stanford University Press, 1990.

Historic Monterey Path of History Walking Tour. California Department of Parks and Recreation, 1989.

Copyright © 2004 Dan Mosier

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Please send email to Dan Mosier at danmosier@earthlink.net.