111789

Page 181

45 t h e Mormons c o u ld have been a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e te c h n i q u e o f making s u n - d r i e d b r i c k b e f o r e t h e y l e f t Nauvoo, I l l i n o i s , o r from where t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n m ight have come t o them. B ecause o f c l i m a t i c c o n d i t i o n s and c u l t u r a l p r e f e r e n c e s f o r wood and f i r e d b r i c k i n E a s t e r n A m erica, t h e u se o f s u n d r i e d o r u n b u rn t b r i c k s i n t h e E a s t was a lm o s t unknown. E x p e r im e n ta tio n w i t h s u n - d r i e d b r i c k s , how ever, o c c a s i o n a l l y d id ta k e p l a c e i n t h e humid E a s t , even i n h e a v i l y f o r e s t e d a r e a s w here good wood was in e x p e n s iv e and e a s i l y o b t a i n a b l e (Long, 5 ) . When s u c c e s s f u l , t h e s e e x p e r im e n t s were o c c a s i o n ­ a l l y g i v e n f a v o r a b l e r e p o r t s i n some d e t a i l i n new spapers and m a g a z in e s, and i n v a r i o u s b u l l e t i n s d i s t r i b u t e d e s p e c i a l l y t o masons and b r i c k l a y e r s (Nauvoo N e ig h b o r, Feb. 19, 1 84 5 ). T h e re i s no p r o o f t h a t t h e Mormons i n th e e a s t e r n U n ite d S t a t e s e v e r t r i e d making s u n - d r i e d b r i c k s , b u t th e y d id in d e e d have o p p o r t u n i t y t o r e c e i v e i n f o r m a t i o n on th e m ethods o f making and u s in g them. Church h e a d q u a r t e r s was For i n s t a n c e , when th e a t Nauvoo, I l l i n o i s , t h e main Mormon n ew spaper, Nauvoo N e ig h b o r, p u b l i s h e d two a r t i c l e s d e a l i n g w ith t h e u se and m a n u fa c tu re o f s u n - d r i e d b r i c k s . The f i r s t , t i t l e d "U n b u rn t B r ic k H o u se s," a p p e a re d i n th e J u l y 31, 1844, i s s u e a s a r e p o r t g iv e n t o a group o f Ohio m asons, i n v i t i n g them t o v i s i t some h o uses i n W ashington, D . C . , t h a t had been s u c c e s s f u l l y c o n s t r u c t e d o f such b r i c k s , and t o s e e k a d v ic e 4 t h e r e on t h e p r o c e s s u sed t o m a n u fa c tu r e them . The seco nd a r t i c l e a p p e a re d i n th e F e b ru a ry 19, 1845, i s s u e o f th e ^The a r t i c l e im p l i e s t h a t even s k i l l e d masons s h o u ld n o t t r y t o make u n b u r n t b r i c k w ith o u t a d v i c e . Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.