LACLEDE BRICK COMPANY

Below are links to several files on the Laclede Brick Company. The details in the various articles are a bit contradictory or at least quite unclear. However, the two most authoritative sources are the 1947 company publication, and the 1904 story from BRICK magazine. However, the two are not quite in agreement.

Basically I piece the story together something like this:

1. 1844: A plant was opened. This is actually 4 years earlier than I have read anywhere else. If so, this must have been the elusive brick works of the "English Quakers" to which I can't find any references. It's not at all clear what the name of this plant was.
2. 1854: The official publication of Laclede-Christy in 1947 claims the photo in that publication is from the plant as it was in 1854. That's at least two years earlier than most other sources give on the plant.
3. 1869: Evidently this is the date of the official incorporation of the Laclede Firebrick Manufacturing Co.
4. 1907: In 1907 the Laclede Fire Brick Manufacturing Company and the Christy Fireclay Company were consolidated and incorporated under the laws of the state of Missouri as the Laclede-Christy Clay Products Company.

MORE DETAILED STORIES ON LACLEDE FIRE BRICK MANFACTURING CO.

• Photo of the plant in 1854.    This interesting photo, with the Sublette mansion on the hill in the background, is from the official publication of the Laclede-Christy Company in 1947.
• Story of Laclede Fire Brick from 1904 BRICK magazine story.    This is an amazing detailed treatment, one that I would trust more than the offical company publication. This author had direct access to the top brass, and knew what sorts of questions he was wanting to ask.
• Story of Laclede Fire Brick from 1875 Dry book.    My suspicion is that this is the least reliable of the sources cited here.
• Laclede stones discovered in Texas