Queen City

cheryl said...
Found a brick on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain with "Queen City" printed on it. Can't find any info regarding the origin. Any ideas?

10 comments:

  1. Cheryl,

    Is your QUEEN CITY brick the one with the letters pressed into the recess in the brick? There isn't much I know about it except that they appear to be of VT origin, Jim Graves of the International Brick Collector's Association, indicates, in his compilation of US brick manufacturers, that the brick is of Burlington origin but does not say who the manufacturer may be. My suspicions lead me to think that QUEEN CITY was made in the early 1900s. Burlington government and / or business people may have subscribed to city directories, copies of which may have found their way onto the shelves of local libraries and historical societies. It is likely that these directories may list brick manufacturers, one of which may have done business as Queen City Brick Co or under his own name but marked his brick with QUEEN CITY. Was Burlington or any other village in the area referred to as the Queen City?

    Any how, it would be along these lines that I would try to find out who the manufacturer may be. Some old time residents (masons) may be able to offer a clue.

    Fred R.

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  2. Is there any update on bricks labelled Queen City? I have a number of these and, yes, Burlington, VT is known as the Queen City (of VT, I suppose.)

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    Replies
    1. Any chance i could get one from you?

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    2. Winooski VT is where they were made.

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  3. I have found some information for you
    HERE
    Here's an excerpt:
    "There was an article in the Chittenden County Historical Society Bulletin, vol. 6, no. 5, June 1971 (found at Bailey-Howe Library, Univ. of Vt.), titled "Francis LeClair, Jr., Winooski Merchant." "In 1828 a French Canadian family moved from St. Jean-Baptiste de Rouville, Province of Quebec, to Colchester, State of Vermont. with his wife, Louise, and their six children, Francis LeClair Sr. settled on a farm in the area of Colchester now occupied by the city of Winooski... Much more is known about his son, Francis Jr., who was ten years old at the time of the familiy's removal from Canada." During his lifetime, Francis Jr. owned and ran two brickyards, built well over 100 brick houses, built and ran a small general store, served two terms in the State Legislature, and was a guiding force of the Catholic Church in Burlington and Winooski.
    "It was in the year 1884 that he sold his stock and rented his store to his son-in-law Adolph Graves... On Monday morning, July 8, 1889, Francis LeClair died at his home on Weaver Street at the age of 74... When his will was probated August 2, 1889, it was found that he left an estate of $30,000... His son-in-law, A. A. Graves, took over the brick business and re-incorporated the two yards under the name of the Queen City Brick Co. -- still to be seen from time to time on old bricks.""

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  4. Still more information:
    Starting around 1894 Adolphus Graves was one of the largest brick manufacturers in Vermont. Some of his last contracts were for the brick and crushed stones for the road improvements at Fort Ethan Allen, which he filled from his own quarries and brickyards. His brick works were known as the Queen City Brick Works and he also owned and operated stone quarries on the Colchester Road, from which thousands of tons of crushed and solid stone are put out annually.

    According to a profile in The Vermont of Today, vol. 4, Arthur F. Stone, ed., NY, 1929, pp. 687-688, "New York lawyer and president of the Queen City Brick and Stone Company of Winooski and Burlington, Frank L. Graves is the scion of a family that has been identified continuously with Vermont industry for three generations...
    The Queen City Brick and Stone Company was incorporated in 1904.

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  5. Looking for a Queen City Brick myself please let me know if you have one. The brickyard was from the 40"s in Winooski Vt. Please contact me if you have one
    or replay to this for my email Thank You

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  6. I have a Queen City brick. Let me know if you're still interested.

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  7. i also have queen city bricks in various conditions

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  8. I also have a bunch of Queen City bricks and a bunch of the bricks from the switch over

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