The Great Hudson River Brick Industry: Commemorating Three and a Half Centuries of Brickmaking

A soaring, graceful brick flue rises above the Hudson at East Kingston, silent vestige of a once mighty industry. At the beginning of the 20^th century, brick manufacturing was the dominant industry on the Hudson River. One hundred thirty manufacturers employed seven to eight thousand workers. It was the largest brickmaking region in the world, supplying vast amounts of bricks to the fastest-growing city in the world. George Hutton relates the three and a half centuries of brickmaking along the Hudson with accounts of technical innovations, manufacturing methods, periods of enormous production and wrenching business crises that transformed the entire industry. Intertwined with this history is the arrival of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and the American South, as well as labor relations. Copiously illustrated with prints, photos, and maps.