Brickyards in Winfield

Carters Monthly of June 6, 1907 states AWinfield Citizens manufactured the first brick in the county, and M. L. Read=s brick bank building, erected in 1872, was the first brick building erected in the county.@

Albert T. Shenneman worked at several jobs, including Stewart and Simpson's Brickyard, until being appointed City Marshal in 1875.

March 27, 1879 - Messrs. Simpson & Stewart, the "pioneer" bricklayers of Cowley county, are pushing the Fahey building forward rapidly. Their cries of "mort" and "more hard brick" are familiar sounds to the older residents of Winfield, as they have had a hand in "raising" most of the beautiful and substantial buildings of which we are so proud.

Col. Manning is not satisfied with his achievements thus far in making city improvements. He is excavating just back of the post office and opera house for another brick block to front on 9th avenue.

April 24, 1879 - Bliss & Co. propose to make two millions of pressed brick this season. They have all the conveniences and are pushing the work rapidly. Mr. E. H. Jones, the foreman, is an experienced brickmaker and understands exactly how to make first-class brick of the material he is using. Bliss & Co. have on hand and arriving, 800 cords of wood to be used for this purpose.

There is good reason to believe that there will be used for building purposes not only all the brick this firm can make, but a million from the yards of Messrs. McBride & Green and another million from Sligar & Thompson. We have not visited these two last named yards, but are informed that they are moving forward successfully. The number of men engaged in the manufacture of brick, and hauling material and wood, is not less than fifty.

Besides the large amount of new stone sidewalks which are being put down, there are a large number of cellars and other stone works in process of construction.

April 24, 1879 - Last Thursday we made a visit to the brick works of Bliss & Co., across the river, opposite the Winfield Mills. They have got their works to running like clock-work, and will soon be turning out pressed brick of the best quality by the hundreds of thousands. One kiln was nearly burned and will soon be in the market; in an extensive drying shed, so constructed that it can be opened to the sun or closed against the rain at five minutes' notice, were large quantities of brick nearly ready for the kiln, and on the extensive beds were being placed the fresh pressed brick from the mill and moulds. Bliss & Co. will be able to supply brick enough this year to build a town.

July 10, 1879 - The bottom has been knocked out of the brick market and Saturday good brick were selling at $3.75 per thousand. With brick at this price a good, substantial building can be put up for a very small sum.

July 14, 1881 - 100 cords of wood wanted by W. W. Green, Winfield, for burning brick.

Winfield Courier, August 10, 1882.

Another Enterprise.

Some months ago Messrs. A. F. Morey, M. L. Read, and M. L. Robinson established a brick yard in the south part of town for the purpose of burning brick from the bank of fire clay mentioned before. The first kiln has just been finished and gives entire satisfaction. The company will now open out on a large scale and intend manufcturing three kinds of brickCthe common red brick, a mixed fire-clay, and the pure fire-clay brick. The fire-clay brick is as white as paper and as durable as marble, being perfectly fire-proof. The company have contracts for a large amount of brick already. Mr. Morey is an old brick maker and is satisfied that their vein of fire clay is the finest and purest in the county. A first-class pottery will be the next addition to the company=s works.

Winfield Courier, August 17, 1882.

Fourth on the list of manufactures is the brick yard in the southwest part of the city, established last June by Messrs. Read and Robinson. The first kiln of red brick is just completed, and a large part of it is already sold to Wellington parties. This will become one of our most important enterprises, as it is intended to make fine brick. Beds of Clay for the same exist in inexhaustible quantities within a short distance of the yard.

Winfield Courier, March 1, 1883.

The brick yard in the south part of the city is assuming mammoth proportions. The proprietors, Messrs. Read and Robinson, are putting about ten thousand dollars into improvements. Large sheds have been erected, an immense boiler and engine put in, and a force of men are at work building patent kilns. The firm has contracts for a large amount of brick which go to other towns, and also for many mies of tile, which it will also manufacture. It will employ a large number of hands and is an important enterprise.

Winfield Courier, March 22, 1883.

Some fiend tried to burn up Robinson & Morey=s brick-house Tuesday evening. The fire was started about the center of the sheds and engine house and burned through one side, leaving a hole in the building about ten feet square. The fire went out of its own accord. The fire was started on the inside of the building and the draft through from both ends carried it out. It is only a miracle that the building and machinery were not destroyed. A fellow who would do this kind of business ought to be harshly used if apprehended. The loss of this institution would be a severe stab to the material interests of our citty. It is hard to assign any object for incendiarism in this case.

Winfield Courier, April 12, 1883.

STARTED UP.

The New Brick and Tile Works in Successful Operation.

A Big Enterprise.

Last Thursday morning our reporter visited the Winfield Brick and Tile Works, and was shown through by Superintendent Morey. The works were put in operation last week and have already corded up 100,000 brick ready for the kiln. It is a mammoth institution. The drying house is thirty feet wide and one hundred feet long; and arranged with racks on which the brick are placed to dry. These are arranged like the shelves of a book-case and have slatted floors, allowing the air to circulate freely through the green brick. The moulding room is thirty by thirty and contains a crusher for grinding the fire clay and one of the new brick and tile machines. This machine is a wonderful improvement over the old method of hand-moulding. The dirt is shoveled in dry, ground up very fine, and pressed until it becomes almost as compact and solid as stone. It comes out of the machine in a continuous square column 4 by 8 inches, and a boy cuts off three brick at a time with a lever on which wires are strung. The green bricks are so solid as to admit of stacking ten deep without injury. The tile attachment is a mould in which a core works, fashioning the tile nicely and as smooth as glass. The engine room joins the moulding room and contains a large boiler which supplies steam to a fifty horsepower engine. The whole structure is one hundred and sixty feet long. The kilns are located at the north end of the building, and are being constructed on a pattern designed by Mr. Morey. One is just being completed. It is a large round concern, lined with fire brick with openings for firing every three feet. The heat is carried to the top of the kiln by flues and brought down through the brick. It is then carried off through a smoke stack located about twenty feet from the kiln. This stack serves for both kilns. Each kiln has a capacity of 100,000 brick. The capacity of the works will be 100,000 per week. Nineteen men are now employed and when running to its full capacity, will furnish work for thirty men. Over ten thousand dollars have already been invested, and if this season=s work proves successful, the capacity will be doubled next year. The enterprise is a very important one for Winfield and we are heartily interested in its success.

[NOTED THEY DID NOT GIVE LOCATION!]

Winfield Courier, April 24, 1884.

The Stone, Brick and Tile Company is now employing sixty-five men, who with their families constitute a small army of about three hundred. The Schmidt quarries support about as many more. The great drawback to the development of this industry at present is a lack of cars to ship the product. With the two new roads completed, the question of proper facilities for transportation will be solvedCand when it is, the development of these quarries will be wonderful.

Winfield Courier, July 3, 1884.

The Winfield Stone, Brick & Tile Works are running at full blast and working a small army of men. They are making twenty thousand brick per day, all hand-made and the finest ever turned out in this county. The large quarries on the Southern Kansas northeast of town are also being operated and immense quantities of stone for local use and shipment are being tken out. The price charged for rubble is $2.50 per cord, or $4.50 delivered. The company also furnish cut stone of all kinds, blue or white. The stone industry is growing to be a most important one to our city and we are happy to note the continued activity in this branch of business. Heretofore the supply of brick has been light and has retarded building. The large facilities of the company insure a full supply at all times from this on.