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T H A N K Y O U ! ! ! ! ! !
f o r t a k i n g t h e t i m e t o d o a w e b s i t e o n b r i c k s !
W e j u s t m o v e d i n t o a n o l d h o u s e t h a t h a s a b r i c k
f r o n t p o r c h a n d t h e y a r e m a r k e d " S T A R " a n d t h a t m a k e s
t h e m v e r y s p e c i a l t o u s .
F o u n d y o u v i a G o o g l e .
J u s t w a n t e d t o s a y T H A N K S .
C i n d y
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Mr. Mosier,
I am writing to request permission to put a link on
a webpage I am working on about collecting bricks to
your webpage. I have done a lot of searching on the
internet and yours is one of the very few on collecting
bricks. I also collect bricks so far I have just bricks
from Texas where I live and some from Kansas. The page
is still in the construction stage but I will send you
the URL when it is completed and working.
Thank You,
Joe
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E a r l i e r t o d a y I w a s e n g a g e d i n b r u s h i n g a l o n g M t . B r o w
r o a d n e a r S o n o r a i n T u o l u m n e C o . . T h e r e w a s a s m a l l
b u t a t t r a c t i v e p u m p h o u s e j u s t b e s i d e t h e r o a d a n d w h e n
I w a l k e d o v e r t o l o o k a t i t I n o t i c e d s o m e o l d b r i c k s
w i t h t h e n a m e C a l i f o r n i a s t a m p e d o n t h e m . T h i s e v e n i n g
I w a s t e l l i n g m y w i f e a b o u t t h e d a y ' s e v e n t s a n d o n t h e
s p u r o f t h e m o m e n t I d e c i d e d t o s e e i f I c o u l d f i n d a n y
i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e s e b r i c k s o n t h e i n t e r n e t . I m a g i n e
m y s u r p r i s e w h e n I l o c a t e d y o u r w e b s i t e i n o n l y s e c o n d s !
T h a n k y o u s o m u c h f o r y o u r i n t e r e s t i n g a n d i n f o r m a t i v e
w e b s i t e i t i s a w o n d e r f u l r e s o u r c e .
T h a n k s a g a i n ,
T o m
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I'm also a brick collector. I just found your website and
it is really nice.
I'm joining the IBCA and hope to meet you someday.
Dan
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H e l l o
I s t u m b l e d i n t o y o u r w e b s i t e h t t p : / / c a l b r i c k s . n e t f i r m s . c o m /
b r i c k b l d g . h t m l
T h e h o u s e o n C h a p i n A v e n u e w a s b u i l t b y m y g r e a t g r a n d f a t h e r ,
G e o r g e F a r r e l l , b a c k i n 1 9 0 6 . T h e e a r t h q u a k e o f 1 9 0 6 k n o c k e d
d o w n t h e w a l l s t h a t w e r e u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n a t t h e t i m e .
A f t e r w a r d s , h e r e - i n f o r c e d i t w i t h h e a v y g a g e w i r e t h r o u g h o u t
t h e w a l l s s o t h a t w o u l d n e v e r h a p p e n a g a i n . A r c h e s a n d a l c o v e s
w e r e s c u l p t e d o r s h a p e d b r i c k s t o t h e f i t e v e n l y a n d c o n s i s t e n t l y
( K l i n k e r B r i c k I t h i n k t h e y c a l l e d i t ) a n d n o t f i l l e d v o i d s w i t h
j u s t m o r t a r .
A s a y o u n g b o y , I u s e d t o v i s i t m y g r e a t a u n t t h e r e , I r e n e
F a r r e l l P a l a m o u n t a i n d u r i n g t h e 1 9 5 0 ' s a n d 1 9 6 0 ' s .
I h a v e p h o t o s o f G e o r g e a n d B e r t h a F a r r e l l w i t h a l l t h e
f a m i l y i n f r o n t o f t h a t h o u s e , a n d a h i s t o r y i f y o u a r e
i n t e r e s t e d .
G e o r g e w a s n o t o n l y a m a s o n a r y c o n t r a c t o r i n t h e S F a r e a , b u t
a l s o q u i t e a d a n c e i n s t r u c t o r a t t h e C o t i l l i o n B a l l R o o m o n
P o l k S t r e e t i n S F .
A l l t h e b e s t ,
G r e g
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H i ,
I j u s t r a n a c r o s s a c a c h e o f o l d b r i c k s , c r o c k e r y
s h a r d s a n d g l a z e d t r i m p i e c e s ( s e e p h o t o s ) . I d i d a
s e a r c h a n d f o u n d y o u r c o l l e c t i o n . I n e v e r t h o u g h t I ' d
b e i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e h i s t o r y o f a " b r i c k " b u t n o w . . .
A t a n y r a t e I ' m p r o b a b l y g o i n g t o u s e s o m e o f t h e m i n
s o m e m a s o n r y p r o j e c t s t h a t I h a v e c o m i n g u p a n d w o u l d
l i k e t o h a v e a p r o v e n a n c e t o g o w i t h t h e m . I w a s
w o n d e r i n g i f y o u w o u l d k n o w , o r c o u l d p o i n t m e i n a
d i r e c t i o n , o f a n y m o r e i n f o r e s o u r c e s ? I ' m e s p e c i a l l y
c u r i o u s a b o u t t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l d e t a i l s t h a t I h a v e .
I t l o o k s l i k e s o m e o f t h e b r i c k s h a v e w a s t e g l a z e
o o z i n g a l l o v e r t h e m ( p o s s i b l y f r o m t h e b i g o l d k i l n
f l o o r s ? ) - T h e y a r e q u i t e l o v e l y . S o m e o f t h e b r i c k s
a r e s t a m p e d " L o s A n g e l e s B r i c k a n d P a v i n g C o " . , " P C P "
a n d t h e r e a r e s h a r d s o f c r e a m c o l o r e d c r o c k e r y t h a t
a r e m a r k e d " P A C I F I C " a n d " D o u g l a s " . T h a n k s i n a d v a n c e
f o r a n y l i g h t y o u m a y h a v e t o s h e d o n t h i s m o d e r n d a y
a r c h e o l o g y .
R e g a r d s ,
M a t t
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d e a r m r . m o s i e r ,
i f o u n d y o u r d e l i g h t f u l w e b s i t e a b o u t t h e h i s t o r y o f
b r i c k s a n d i w a s w o n d e r i n g : d o y o u k n o w w h e r e i c o u l d
f i n d a b o u t 2 0 0 a n t i q u e b r i c k s ( c i r c a 1 9 1 0 o r s o ) ? i a m
t r y i n g t o r e s t o r e t h e f i r e p l a c e f a c i n g i n m y 1 9 1 3 c r a f t s m a n
b u n g a l o w a n d i d o n ' t w a n t t o u s e n e w b r i c k i f i c a n h e l p
i t . b u t i l i v e i n l o s a n g e l e s a n d a l l t h e a n t i q u e b r i c k
s e e m s t o b e i n t h e m i d w e s t . i t h i n k i t w o u l d b e e x p e n s i v e
t o s h i p s u c h a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l b a t c h o f b r i c k s o u t h e r e . . .
d o y o u h a v e a n y i d e a s ? a n y a d v i c e a p p r e c i a t e d !
t h a n k s ,
s u e
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w h a t a r e m o s t b r i c k s m a d e o f ?
B r e n d a
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H i D a n ,
G r e a t w e b s i t e . I f o u n d a b r i c k o n t h e b e a c h i n S a n t a C r u z
w i t h a d e l t a s y m b o l s t a m p e d i n t o i t a n d n o t h i n g e l s e . I t h i n k
i t i s o l d . A n y i d e a s ?
J e f f
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Hi there,
I found your site while looking for brick collectors on
the internet this evening. I have about 130 bricks or so.
Mostly from Texas. I agree with you that once friends and
family members found out that I enjoy bricks they keep
they're eyes peeled for me and I have had bricks just left
on my front porch. I don't have a California brick...I will
gladly trade a nice Texas brick of some kind for a California
brick any time. enjoyed reading your webpage and I am
inspired to create a brick page for myself.
Thanks for being on the web.
Nancy
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I have a question that maybe you can answer? I have an
old PSP ACORN brick that has the word Acorn under the PSP.
Do you have any idea how old this brick is, and was it used
in fire places?
Jack
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I tried the site again and it works fine. I was interested
because I have two sizes of "California" bricks.
Thanks for your research.
Philip
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Hello, I never thought of collecting bricks before seeing
your website on the subject. I was given some bricks from
a neighbors yard that had been laid in his patio area. He
decided to cement the area and put the bricks in the alley
from myself and another neighbor to split. The guy that
gave us the bricks asked how the project was coming along
and we invited him over to take a look. We told him we
wouldn't have enough to finish this project and that we
were going to start inquirying about where to buy some more.
He told us that the bricks we had were firebricks. We know
nothing about bricks except that the older ones looked much
more appealing to us. Looking at the information you have
printed on your website I recognized the name Diablo and
Labco it was interesting to read the info you had listed
on it. I haven't found anyone who might have any of these
available yet, but I wanted to say Thanks for the interesting
insight.
Kind regards,
Carmela
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I've enjoyed your informative "brick" web site. I have
several bricks a little different from yours as illustrated.
They are named LAB co 1-A and 2-A. Both appear to be fire
bricks. They are unusual in that they are not perfectly
rectangular in end view. There is about a one-fourth inch
difference in end heights. Another brick is identified as
"Livermore," but the name is impressed rather than raised
as in your illustration. I do have a Livermore with a
"smiley face" under the name. I inherited these and some
other nameless bricks many years ago.
Any information on the described bricks, if different from
the basic descriptions on your website, would be appreciated.
Dave
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Hi. I'm the historian at the Yaquina Head lighthouse,
Newport, Oregon. I'm seeking info about the bricks
used in the construction of our 93-foot lighthouse
tower in 1872. Some 370,000 bricks were used. One
person here believes the bricks were Oregon-made in
Portland...shipped as ballast to San Francisco and
purchased there. The archives show that the bricks
were, indeed, purchased in SF. BUT....where were they
made? My research shows that there were no brick
making machines in the Portland area until the late
1870's....that the bricks would have to have been made
by hand. But 370,000? Also, research shows that the
size of our unmarked bricks, exactly 2" by 4" by 8",
is unusual for the West Coast...that bricks of that
size were being made then only on the East Coast. Can
you fill in some gaps? I'd really appreciate any help.
Thanks, George
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i have aquired a few ca bricks richmond, livermore,
craycroft, etc what can i do with them ?
joann
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I was fortunate to come across your web site and was
fascinated by your documentation on the various
manufacturers. I do Hardscape masonry work in Southern
California and use allot of the Simons bricks. A company
in Corona purchased the Simons name and are now producing
Simons as spilt pavers from the original molds you might
want to check out their web site at http://www.simonsbrick.com/
they have a link to a great article by the LA Times on
Simons Brick History.
Scott
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I recently purchased several hundred brick that were
taken from a victorian home in Alameda that is being
remodeled. Many of the bricks are stamped with "CH"
and I have found one brick so far that has the numbers
"883" hand-written into the brick. I am interested in
finding out more about these bricks (before I turn
them into a patio...) If you have any more information
or resources, I would appreciate it.
Thank you for any assistance,
Laurie
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Hi Dan;
I'm trying to research some bricks from an foundation
on our church's property. The brick probably dates from
early 1700s and measures 8 1/4 by 4 by 2 5/8 (approx
measurements). Do you know a good web source for
colonial bricks?
Thanks!
James
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My great-grandfather used to be part owner of the
former business Richmond Brick Yard Richmond Pressed
Brick Company at the site where Brickyard Cove is in
California... Could you direct me to anyone who may
know history on this location. any help would be
greatly appreciated.
Joey
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Hi Dan,
Found your web site and need some help. I am doing
some research on brick making technology created in
the mid 50's by some people in California. Actually it
was a mobile brick maker...the machine which scooped up
the dirt/clay/sand mixed it, combined it with a bonding
agent and spit out bricks. These bricks did not require
any curing and were waterproof. Any help? Any idea what
happended...are people still making bricks this way.....
Frank
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Do you have any idea where a person might buy about a
dozen Port Costa bricks? They haven't made them for
12 years. A contractor on a City job damaged some in
a private yard and is looking for some to replace them.
Any help you might have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Sandy
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Hello, I'm geneology cruising. My family owned
Garvanza Brickyard in the East LA/Pasadena area
aroung 1880. The family moved to Santa Maria in
1920 where that also had a brickyard. Actually
there seems to be quite a lot of Gamble (perhaps
Wilson also) brickyards. Do you have any info to
share? They ran a brickyard in Santa Clara about
1900 for a couple of years before returning to LA.
Any idea where that Karl Gurcke book could be
located?
Jean
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Thanks for the info! The friend who gave them to
me -the bricks were dug out of her yard in Mill Valley
when she was landscaping - got a big kick out of finding
out where they came from, too. I found another one with
a Livermore stamp on the side that I'm trying to figure
out how to display in my garden. It's the beginning of
a new interest! It's great that your site is up and
encouraging people.
Michelle
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Do you know where I can purchase Old Sacramento brick?
This is for a construction project on a historic building
in downtown Old Sacramento.
Thanx for the help.
Karen
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Hi Dan - I am looking for information on a brick
stamped "SJBCo" that is part of an elaborate brick
chimney in our living room. The house is in Woodside.
The house was built in 1853 but I suspect the fireplace
was added on later. Our brick is inset rather than
raised where it is stamped. Many of the bricks are
irregularly shaped and make an incredible hearth with
view of the Pacific Ocean behind it. The house itself
is historically significant.
Any help you could give me dating the brick and
fireplace will be greatly appreciated. I can send
digital photos if that would help.
Dan
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Hello Dan,
I found your site by putting "walbottle" in my
browser and was pleasantly surprised by the pictures
and information that you have provided. I have the
Walbottle, Cowen and Snowball bricks. The Cowen has
a 4 above the word cowen. I have recently moved to
Thomasville, GA from Sequim, WA. Unfortunately, I
had to leave some of my bricks in sequim (in walkways
as stepping stones). I was afraid I would be over
on weight on the moving van. I managed to get here
with 105 bricks. At one time I had over 200, but
moving twice in 6 years has taken its toll. I got the
Walbottle and a Calvert in a trade (via mail) with
Bill McDowell. The Snowball was given to me as a
house warming gift by a lady in Sequim. The story
behind the Cowen is interesting. On my walks I
passed a home that had bricks around the base of
their mailbox stand. One of them was a Cowen.
After about 2 years of coveting the brick, I was
walking by there and a dog was giving me a hard
time. The lady that owned the dog came out to quiet
the dog and I asked her if I could purchase the brick.
She told me take it as a gift to compensate for the
harassment by the dog. So, I finally got the brick.
Anyway, you have done an excellent job providing all
of the information on your site. I printed the
pictures of the three that I have mentioned and
their info.
Thanks!
Gary
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Interesting site. Thanks for putting it together.
I noticed a bar-b-que pit in Hayward made with
"CALIFORNIA" bricks and was intrigued by the markings.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge.
James
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Hi.
I am a portuguese history teacher doing research about
the portuguese in California for my Master Theseis.
In one of my readings I noticed that the Sacramento
Brick Company was founded by portuguese.
Can you help finding if this information is true?
thank you
Jose
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Dan,
Thanks for the communication.
I learned a lot from reading your websites on Tesla
and Carnegie.
I plan to purchase and read your book on the subject.
Living in and learning about California is fun thanks
to people like you.
David
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My husband enjoyed looking at your brick collection
and realized that we have a Gasco (yellow) brick
(see attachment) that is in good condition. (no cracks,
some small chips on edge) Would you like to just have
it for your collection? We will ship COD if you would
like it. Or arrange for pick up if you are close
enough. We are in Lincoln, California.
The I
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I was wondering if there is anything written or
pictures of the brick yard that was located in
the Sherman Oaks area. I have faint memories of my
father working in a brickyard close to where I
work off Bascom Ave. I tried locating something
in the internet but only found a small article in a
Sherman Oak Community Newsletter. My father passed
away over 40 yrs ago and was still employed with
this brickyard. I would appreciate if you could help
me locate something to share with my children.
Thank you
Linda
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Dan,
I found your California Brick website in a 'brick
collecting" web-search. I am very, very new to
collecting. You have a fantastic website! The history
you have researched and presented of the Brickmakers
is particularly great. And of course looking at your
collection is the fun part! I didn't realize that some
"named bricks" had the name on the long edge (instead
of the face) until I seen you website.
A few questions:
1. Does the IBCA have a website? Are there state or
regional chapters?
2. Are you aware of any books on brickmakers and/or
"named bricks"? You mention "an excellent book by
Karl Gurcke entitled "Bricks and Brickmaking," University
of Idaho Press, 1987" but you seem to indicate this
is ONLY for California bricks Š is that correct?
3. I live in the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois,
and Wisconsin. Are you aware of any collectors in
these three states?
Please advise. Thank you.
John
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Dan
i'm thinking of doing a website on my brick collection -
about 130 different ones, no one else in the UK seems to
have done one. Do you get much interest in your site?
Dave
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Dan
thought you might be interested in the attached, I found
it in Brymbo, near Wrexham, North Wales. A long way from
home but not as far as your example!
i'm very impressed with the research you've done for your
collection
best wishes
Dave
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Hello Dan,
I just paid your brick web site an enjoyable visit. Thank you.
I visited Benicia a few months ago, looking for information
on the cement plant that used to be there. While searching,
I hiked out to Dillon Point, about 2 miles west of downtown,
where I found hundreds of brickbats. The state employee at
the Old Capitol said there had been a brick yard out there,
I believe owned by Mr. Dillon. Do you know anything about
this? I know of two available books on Benicia history. I
have "Benicia, A Portrait of an Early California Town," and
it does not mention bricks or Dillon. I believe the other
book does.
I hope this information may be of some interest to you.
Michael
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Hi Dan:
I just surfed some of the bricks on your site, and am
enjoying them immensely. I am involved with the restoration
and development of the Claybank Brick Plant National Historic
Site of Canada. At this site we hope to interpret the brick
industry across North America, as well as at the plant itself.
For more information on Claybank, see the website at:
http://www.sasktelwebsite.net/cbphm/
I am attaching a virtual brick - part of our North American
Virtual Brick Collection. At some point we would like to
develop a system for linking all of the brick sites such
as yours to become part of this Virtual Brick Collection.
Are you interested in joining in? This will be much easier
and practical - though not as much fun - than collecting
real bricks. Also a lot cheaper, I expect. Mailing bricks
is not cheap. In January I will be meeting with members of
several historical agencies which are interested in
participating in this venture, to determine how we can best
accomplish this collection, and establish the necessary links
with both collectors and present-day brick manufacturers.
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Frank
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Hey Dan: Just checking in to see if you have found out
anything about the Robson Bricks??, found another wierd
Brick yesterday that says PREMIER on it. I will check your
Web-Site to see if you already have information on it!!!.
Steve
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Home Page | Collecting | History |
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Fan Mail
Comments or questions are welcomed.
Please send email to Dan Mosier at danmosier@earthlink.net.