Many of our Industrial Mississippi posts have highlighted mid-20th century industries, but today we go back a few decades to look at one of the original building industries, brick-making. I came across this article entitled “Mississippi Brick Manufacturers Convene” in the always scintilating trade journal, Brick and Clay Record of May 6, 1919. Its list of brick manufacturers that were large enough to want to attend the event and the description of the meeting itself was enough to make me want to share. Plus, this was the meeting in which the brick makers in Mississippi agreed on a standard size for the “common” brick–read below to see what it was and then go out into your town with a measuring tape and get to measuring to see if they stuck with it!
Many of Mississippi’s early 20th-century brick buildings and the remaining brick streets in towns like Clinton, Vicksburg, and Greenwood are probably built with brick made by these firms, so keep an eye out for their names in the old newspapers.
Mississippi Brick Manufacturers Convene
On Thursday, March 13, the first annual meeting of the Mississippi Brick Makers’ Association was held, at the Gilmer Hotel, Columbus, Miss. The meeting was call to order promptly at nine o’clock in the morning. President W.N. Puckett, presiding. President Puckett outlined the objects and ambitions of the association, which was formally organized in Meridian several months ago, and threw into the meeting, right from the beginning a spirit of cooperation and mutual confidence that prevailed until the end.
In a few well chosen and friendly words, Mr. Ira Gaston welcomed the members to Columbus. P.L. Gaston, of Hattiesburg, responded in a clever vein to the splendid welcome from the good people of Columbus.
The financial report of the secretary, showing receipts and disbursements and a good balance on hand was then read and approved.
An interesting report was made by J.T. Osborne and P.L. Gaston, on their trip to Chicago to attend the meeting of the Common Brick Manufacturers’ Association of America. The discussion following these reports was interesting and educational and on motion, it was found to be the unanimous opinion of those present that all brick makers should join the national association.
After discussion, a motion was made and carried making the standard size of manufactured common brick 8×2¼x3¾.
All the old officers were elected for another year and then at two o’clock, the members assembled at a local cafe, where they were the guests of the citizens of Columbus at a luncheon. Dr. Lipscombe presided as toastmaster and some splendid talks were made. President Whitfield, of the college, was present and made an encouraging forecast for the future.
After the luncheon a visit was made to the Columbus brick plant, which was a great treat to the brick makers, as Columbus is the largest brick manufacturing center in Mississippi. Two large plants there have a capacity of more than 100,000 brick daily.
Among the members present at this meeting were:
- H.C. Miller, Kosciusko, Miss.
- L.H. Tubb, Amory, Miss.
- J.T. Earhard, J.T. Earhart Brick Co., Louisville, Miss.
- C.S. Edminaton, Quitman, Miss., and American Brick & Tile Co., Waynesboro, Miss.
- J.T. Osborne, and C.L. Archer, Corinth (Miss.) Brick Co.
- A.F. Simmons and W.T. Barnett, Booneville (Miss.) Brick & Tile Co.
- L.C. Cline, Macon, Miss.
- Fred C. Becker, Brookhaven (Miss.) Pressed Brick & Mfg. Co.
- Roger Frierwood, Success Brick & Tile Co., Greenwood, Miss.
- R.W. Bullard, Bullard Brick Co., Jackson, Miss.
- H.T. Finch, Currie-Finch Brick Co., Jackson, Miss.
- P.L. Gaston, Riverside Brick & Mfg. Co., Hattiesburg, Miss.
- B.A. Schneider, Laurel (Miss.) Brick Works
- M.M. Lockard, Lockard Brick Works, Meridian, Miss.
The next year’s meeting was in Jackson and was briefly covered by Brick and Clay Record:
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Related posts . . .
Categories: Architectural Research
Preservation in Mississippi 
Apparently, attending meetings back then was way more fun than it is now! I did recently make a side trip to see the brick streets in downtown Greenwood. I have two marked bricks in my brick collection–I am a sucker for a brick with a name stamped on it.
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Wow i’d love to have been on that tour of the brick plant.
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As proof of how things have gone from local to global, Columbus Brick Company was recently acquired by Wienerberger AG, the world’s largest producer of brick and other building materials. Puckett and Lindamood would be impressed!
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Ran across this in a search for info on the Enochs family of Mississippi. A.C. Enochs owned the Standard Brick and Coal Company of Vicksburg, a city we just recently had the pleasure of visiting.
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