The Historic 
Harmony Brick Works

This is a photo of the Harmony Brick Works steam drier at Leetsdale published in a trade magazine in June 1898.

How were bricks made in the 19th century?  That's one of the questions archaeologists working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hope to answer while excavating a recently discovered archaeological site in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania.
                                                              
During the first phase of excavation, archaeologists are bringing to light the historic industrial component of the site -- brick factories dating from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, the latest of which is associated with the Harmony Society, a religious separatist group. Their community, which was located in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, is preserved as a National Historic Landmark.  Many of the buildings from this historic community are preserved as a historic site (Old Economy Village) administered  by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Courthouse records tracing the ownership of the Leetsdale site indicate that the land changed hands repeatedly, having many different owners before the Harmonists purchased the property (brick plant and land) from the Real Estate Savings Bank in 1888.  During the Harmonist occupation, Henry Blackstone was the brick works superintendent. In 1902, the Harmonists sold the brick works and land around it to James Oliver for real estate development.  In 1905, the Harmony Society was officially disbanded.  Five years after the property was sold, the area was inundated by the 1907 flood.  A layer of silt from the flood can be seen in the excavated holes dug by the archaeologists.

We have a good idea of how the brick factory was laid out from an 1898 photograph (see top of page), a surveyor's plan map (click on thumbnail to see enlarged image), and archaeological evidence. Archaeology fieldwork uncovered changes in the drying room technology, an important aspect of commercial brick-making technology. It also documented the construction methods of two sizes of up-draft kilns (7 kilns were examined) and helped explain why the photograph and the surveyor's drawing differ. The photograph and drawing were produced within a few years of each other but showed different site layouts except for the location of five large kilns. By investigating structural remnants, it was determined that during the intervening time, a fire necessitated the rebuilding of a large work structure, which in turn affected the location of a rail line.

These historic remains have the potential to yield significant information on the architecture, technology and economics of the brick plants from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century.  Almost 100 years later, the land is now covered with weeds, but beneath the soil lays a wealth of knowledge.

Page was last updated: December 03, 2004

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