#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream
Leftover Brick, Chilmark, Brick Factory
“The site is historically significant, having served as the first commercial brickyard in New England, in operation from 1642 throughout the late 1800s, according to a TTOR press release. The clay deposits on the property are among the oldest soil found in the northeast, dating back 140 million years. By comparison, 99 percent of the Vineyard’s surface soils are less than 10,000 years old. The clay was used to manufacture the highly sought-after bricks that were shipped to Boston, New York, and Newport to help build these great American cities.”
One of the fascinating sights of #mydailywalk here in Chilmark, is this last standing remnant of a brick factory that stood facing the sea. Amidst the moss and seaweed covered stones that cover the beach are old bricks, like the one above, baked red on the outside, brown clay on the inside. To get to this spot, we happily skid across a huge slippery patch of the sticky soft clay that slides off the cliffs to be moistened by the tide. We walk past the ruin, dip our toes in the fresh Roaring Brook.
“Truly the Brickyard is a scene of desolation and decay. There is the evidence of mighty toil and lavish expenditure of capital. There are the signs of long years of human occupancy, but the signs are growing dim.
Some day the old stack will fall and the bricks will settle out of sight in the ground. The waterfront will crumble in time, the mill disappear, and nothing will be left to show what an industry once flourished there but the great vein of clay which juts from the face of the cliff, and perhaps the fragments of the sea wall.”
All photos and text by Kelly DuMar 2017