 Hudson River Brickmaking | Brick History/How Bricks Were Made Links | Contact Form | Visitors' Collections/Brix Pix | Our Collection | BOOK SHOP DPBW | HUTTON | MAYONE | SHULTZ | W.A.U. | HOME Page |
Haverstraw Haverstraw's brickyards in the Spring of 1905 SOURCE: Daniel deNoyelles "Within These Gates" Starting in 1771 the area along the river (now Haverstraw Bay County Park) was used for brick making by Jacob Van Dyke from Holland. He made bricks by hand which were used for fireplaces and chimneys. In 1815 James Wood, an Englishman, came to Haverstraw and established his first brickyard. The industry grew quickly. In about 1850, James Eckerson constructed one of the largest brick plants along the Hudson River in Haverstraw. In 1863, a schooner (sailboat, wind-driven) named E. Washburn was launched - it carried 60,000 bricks, which was enough for a moderate-sized house. Steam-powered vessels took over about 1880. In 1883 there were 41 brickyards and over a century of manufacturing. 148 brands were moulded in the vicinity. In North Rockland alone, the business employed some 2500 men in the brick plants, and 10,000 men, women and children were supported by the industry. In a single year 300,000,000 bricks were shipped out of the Haverstraw Bay area for the NY metropolitan markets, which at times were using over a billion bricks annually.
The Haverstraw Brickyards:(Compiled from: History of Rockland County, J.B. Beers & Co., 1884; Within These Gates, Daniel de Noyelles, 1982; "Some of the Yards," Haverstraw Brick Museum)(maps from F.W. Beers Rockland Cty Atlas, 1891, David Rumsey Collection, Cartography Associates)
Brick Manufacturers
Source: "Within These Gates" by Daniel deNoyelles
|
Name of Company Number of Machines B. J. Allison & Co., Haverstraw, NY ...................... 7 Wood & Allison, Haverstraw, NY ........................... 4 U. F. Washburn & Co., Haverstraw, NY .................... 11 L. H. Washburn, Haverstraw, NY ........................... 2 Washburn & Fowler, Haverstraw, NY ........................ 3 Garner Brick Works, Haverstraw, NY ....................... 6 Malley Brick Co., Haverstraw, NY ......................... 7 Excelsior Brick Co., Haverstraw, NY ...................... 7 DeNoyelles Brick Co., Haverstraw, NY .................... 13 Everett Fowler, Haverstraw, NY ........................... 4 D. Fowler Jr. & Co., Haverstraw, NY ...................... 5 Peck Brick Co., Haverstraw, NY ........................... 6 C. & G. A. Archer, Haverstraw, NY ........................ 2 T. McGuire & Son, Haverstraw, NY ......................... 4 Lynch Bros., Haverstraw, NY .............................. 4 Lynch & O'Brien, Haverstraw, NY .......................... 2 E. N. Renn & Co., Haverstraw, NY ......................... 4 J. Nicholson, Haverstraw, NY ............................. 2 James Byrnes, Haverstraw, NY ............................. 2 Dunnigan, Mrs. F. L., Haverstraw, NY ..................... 3 Bennett, Mrs. William & Sons, Haverstraw, N.Y. ........... 4 T. Shankey & Son, Haverstraw, NY ......................... 4 Snedeker Bros., Haverstraw, NY ........................... 2 Reilly & Tanney, Haverstraw, NY .......................... 2 Tanney & Coyne, Haverstraw, NY ........................... 2 T. Tanney, Haverstraw, NY ................................ 4 Morrissey & Co., Haverstraw, NY .......................... 5 Fowler & Son, Haverstraw, NY ............................. 6 Shankey & Morrissey, Haverstraw, NY ...................... 4 Archer Yard No. 2, Haverstraw, NY ........................ 4 Brophy & Morrissey, Haverstraw, NY ....................... 4 Riley & Rose, Haverstraw, NY ............................. 3 Riley & Marks, Haverstraw, NY ............................ 4 F. Brophy & Brother, Haverstraw, NY ...................... 3 |
Haverstraw Yards & Operators
(Source: Haverstraw Brick Museum)
Landslide!
It started when a crack on Rockland Street widened and the earth gave way. Fires from the stoves that heated the homes and the kerosene lamps that lit them were knocked over, setting buildings ablaze. Fire hydrants froze in the cold temperatures, and several water mains broke, lowering the pressure and making firefighting ineffective. A snowstorm had coated building roofs, and experts said that prevented the entire village from burning. The landslide left a gaping pit about 150 feet deep which claimed five streets and two avenues from Allison to Jefferson, about a third of the village at that time. A total of 21 buildings were lost as well as the lives of 4 firefighters and 15 residents. Some charged greedy brickmakers with undermining the land and ignoring signs of its instability.
Rockland St. landslide site today
(NY State historic marker sign is on left)
(Click pic for a larger view.)
Landslide Historic Marker Sign
From "THE PICTURESQUE HUDSON" by Clifton Johnson,
The MacMillan Company, New York, 1915:
At the edge of the Haverstraw shore, for fully two miles, there is an almost continuous row of rough, wide-spreading sheds used by the brickmakers, and from many of them the smoke was lazily rising. On their landward side the clay sediment, which had been deposited in this nook in the bygone time when the stream was wider and deeper than now, has been removed leaving a vast hollow. The workers even build coffer dams out into the river to rescue the valuable brick clay. Much more than half of all the brick made along the whole course of the river comes from here. The clay has been excavated in places till the buildings of the town are close to the precipitous bank, and their situation seems in some instances decidedly perilous.One autumn afternoon a few years ago a Haverstraw policeman noticed that the walls of a brick building near the edge of an excavation were cracking, and he saw a loosened brick fall out. He went to the owner of the property and told him there was going to be a landslide; and as the clay there had been taken out to a depth of one hundred and eighty feet the prospect was quite disturbing. Warning was given to the families that lived in the threatened neighborhood, but they had dwelt so long in the vicinity of the danger that they thought the alarm needless and went to bed as usual.
About midnight, however, the clay bank gave way carrying down houses and people into the frightful chasm. Rescuers were soon on hand, and they were busy amidst the debris when there was a second slide that overwhelmed everyone in its path. The wreckage caught on fire, and the scene of devastation was brightly lighted. About a dozen houses had gone down into the depths and a score of lives were lost. Among those who perished were a father and mother. When the first houses slid into the chasm theirs hung on the verge and they had time to take their children to a point of safety. That done they went back to get their bank book. They were never seen afterward and not even their bodies were recovered.
A plaque commemorating the event is located on Division Street and the Haverstraw Brick Museum is conducting a fundraising drive to build a new monument.
The Journal News has a great article on the event in observance of the 100th anniversary. The
Haverstraw Brick Museum has a wonderful animated diorama that shows exactly how the Great Landslide took place.
BRICK COLLECTING.comis a service of:  © 2007, 2008 D.S. Bayley
Hudson River Brickmaking |
Brick History/How Bricks Were Made
|