Brick History: Building On The Past

The World’s History: Created By Masons & Bricks. A Very Concise Overview:

Brick Tower in St. LouisBricks are among the world’s oldest and most common building materials (after wood) throughout the ancient and modern world. In fact, many archealogists and historians believe that bricks have been in use since 7,000 BC. Early bricks have been found in structures in ancient Middle Eastern countries including Turkey and Jericho (a city localed in the West Bank of what is now known as Palestine) and Iraq. Early bricks were created by diverse people and societies including the Egyptians, the Romans, Greeks, and the Chinese. The Romans used bricks to expand their empire and built vast roads connecting their newly conquered territories, as well as to build many of their structures. The Romans also carried mobile kilns (the enclosed chambers or ovens used to heat clay into bricks). Ancient Roman bricks even contained imprints or marks of the Roman Empire. Later, early European cities in Poland, Germany, Denmark, and countries like what is today Belarus and Finland, also used bricks to build many of their towns structures. Later, during the Industrial Revolution, the British used bricks to build factories, buildings, homes, churches, etc.

Bricks In America:

The early English colonies used bricks as early as 1612. Early American colonies; modern-day states like Virginia, New York, and New Jersey were built with yellow bricks imported from the Netherlands. The first American brick kiln was built in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629. Eventually, the abundance and quality of American clays made it much more effective and efficient to manufacture bricks locally.

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