GRAVES B'HAM AL


Anonymous said...
I was doing some work around my home this weekend and came across an old looking brick. It is a woodmold Engineer size and is in good shape. It has "GRAVES B'HAM AL" stamped on it. Any Ideas??

44 comments:

  1. This info is in quite a few places online.

    The Graves Brick Company was organized by William H. Graves in the early
    twentieth century. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Graves earned a law degree
    at the College of William and Mary, and returned to Tennessee to open a law
    firm. After the Civil War, he moved to Montgomery, Alabama and then relocated
    to Birmingham, in 1890. Graves maintained his law practice and invested in real
    estate. Soon, he began constructing buildings for investment and on speculation,
    and organized a brick company to supply materials for those projects.
    The City of
    Birmingham’s street paving program offered additional opportunities in the
    manufacturing of vitrified bricks. By 1901, Graves had organized the Graves
    Shale Brick Company. Over the following two decades, he also organized the
    Graves-Matthews Paving Company and the Graves-Gunster Paving Company,
    both with men who married his daughters. H. S. Matthews briefly served as
    general manager for the brick and paving businesses before moving to Florida.
    By 1915, the Graves Company had sold millions of bricks, both the common type
    for use in the construction of buildings and vitrified type for street and road
    construction. Eventually, Graves combined the brick and paving businesses,
    which he closed about 1920. By then, Graves was among the most prominent
    attorneys and property owners in Birmingham (Cruikshank 1920, pp. 73-75;
    Maloney Publishing Co. 1901, 1905; Polk Publishing Co. 1910, 1915, 1918).

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  2. My hometown, Tallahassee Fla. was originally paved with "Graves" street bricks in the early 1900's, and then covered over with asphalt in the 1950's. In 2002, the city was renovating Adams Street. They took up the asphault and bricks, repaved it with asphalt, cut grooves in it, and painted it red to look like bricks. This really confused me, and I got upset that a historical part of the city was destroyed and replaced with a fake image of the past. Fortunately I was allowed to back my truck up to the construction site and load up as many of the old brick as I could take.
    - Adam Reimer ThyMorningSun@aol.com

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  3. i have some of these old bricks for sell anyone interested please contact me at LOCOCRAZY47@YAHOO>COM

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  4. It looks like the are 4 basic styles of Graves pavers. I am assuming the different styles were made by the different companies. It would be interesting to know who made which.

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  5. Dug up a TON in my yard over the weekend while putting a new garden. Of course, I live in Birmingham.

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  6. i live in jacksonville florida hunderds of miles away from birmingham. i have a couple bricks in a small corner of my yard. I saw a few more and dug them up. i saw plain bricks, diamond design bricks, and bricks that said 'GRAVES B'HAM ALA' i googled it and here i am.

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    1. I was under the Atlantic Blvd Bridge ( in Jacksonville )that goes over the San Pablo River and picked up a Graves Brick such as you describe with the name impressed. I recognized it as an old brick and took it home where it now resides among my other historical oddities I have found around these parts.

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  7. Does anyone still have Graves B'Ham Ala. bricks for sale? I just want one. I want the kind with bumped up lettering, not carved down in lettering.

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    1. Got one or two if you want them. Shipping from Central Florida is going to cost you, though, but if you want them bad enough, my email is lambs.kingdom@yahoo.com

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    2. I have over 30 of them Nessaprettynpaid@gmail.com

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  8. If you live in Florida, you should be able to find alot. Old Dixie highway was nothing but these bricks.

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  9. I just bought about 200 of these bricks in Jacksonville FL. They were used on Old Dixie Hwy and on the streets of St. Augustine from the research I have done.
    http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2011/07/discovering-the-magic-city-in-americas-oldest-city.html

    Roll Tide!

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  10. I just bought about 200 of these bricks in Jacksonville FL. They were used on Old Dixie Hwy and on the streets of St. Augustine from the research I have done.
    http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2011/07/discovering-the-magic-city-in-americas-oldest-city.html

    Roll Tide!

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  11. I found on after we tore own an old BBQ pit. this May 1017 ... Dothan al.

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  12. Jacksonville Florida! I also have this and one imprinted with "...USTA". I was a tad uneasy before!! My entire lot is nothing but broken glass under the top soil.

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  13. GREETINGS FROM JACKSONVILLE FL
    I HAVE A GRAVES PAVING STONE THAT HAS
    GRAVES
    B' ALABAMA
    ON IT BUT THE B IS REVERSED!
    DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO ON WHY THE B IS REVERSED?

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  14. greetings from Jacksonville fl
    I to have a graves paving stone but mine says:
    graves
    b'ham Alabama
    except the b is reversed
    does any know why the b is reversed?

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    Replies
    1. The person making it that day had some fun. Bet it’s worth a bit more than the rest

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  15. Just found one on a building site here in Richmond Virginia

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  16. Just found one on a building site here in Richmond Virginia

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  17. Would love to have one of these bricks if anyone has one to spare! I love history and historical items, especially pertinent to where I am living.

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  18. Would love one of these for my kitchen backsplash. Although I live in CA, my kids go to Alabama. Roll Tide!

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    Replies
    1. I have a bunch of these bricks..we are doing a sewer project and are cutting through central ave in st Pete Florida..they are heavy!

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  19. Would love one of these bricks for my kitchen backsplash. Although I live in California, my kids go to the University of Alabama. Roll Tide!

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  20. I found one while tearing a old garage on the back of my property in knoxville tennessee

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    1. Would you be willing to sell it?

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    2. Monique..I have many of them..find me on facebook.inwork for a utility contractor and we have a project that is unearthed many.

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    3. Could you contact me at moniquehoward@hotmail.com?
      I would be happy to send a prepaid shipping tag.

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  21. I found one on my property in knoxville tennessee

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  22. I have about 100 Graves BHam AL. Let me know if you are interested

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    Replies
    1. Please contact me at moniquehoward@hotmail.com.
      I just want one or two, and I am happy to send a prepaid shipping invoice. Thanks!!!

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  23. Bobby, I am interested! Please email me at alexis.brouse@gmail.com. Thank you!

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  24. Hi Bobby, I am also interested in the Graves brick pavers. Please contact me via email bellsans@hotmail.com or bellsans2806@gmail.com

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  25. We recently purchased a home built in 1930 in north Alabama just outside of Huntsville. While doing some yard work, I uncovered and dug up approximately 320 bricks stamped with raised lettering "GRAVES B'HAM ALA". No idea why they were in the yard but we may be willing to sell some.

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  26. We recently purchased a home built in 1930 in north Alabama just outside of Huntsville. While doing some yard work, I uncovered and dug up approximately 320 bricks stamped with raised lettering "GRAVES B'HAM ALA". No idea why they were in the yard but we may be willing to sell some.

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  27. Some engraved, probably presses, in my back yard after I bought mo home. Later dig up front flower bed abt 2 ft down I found a small mother load, kept some recovered with dirt on the rest.
    MEMPHIS TN

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  28. I found one recently in North Carolina at my Mother's home while cleaning out after she passed. Rest in Peace Mom. She used it as a door stopper all my years of growing up. She had it covered with cloth. I do not wish to sell it I just wanted to blog that a piece of history grew with me in North Carolina.

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  29. If anyone has any in decent shape, I'd love to buy one for my new Father-in-Law....who is a Graves. Just thought this would be an interesting gift and conversation piece for him. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. What's one worth n good shape?

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    2. Hi! I have a few in great shape if you would like one. Contact me at jackie0081@yahoo.com!

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  30. Have 30 or so from a old airforce base in Deland fla.Some are in perfect condition. What's one worth?

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  31. I have roughly 300 of these bricks and would like to purchase more that are close to the Birmingham area preferably that can be delivered or possibly picked up. Please email me at sgravesisd@gmail.com if you are local to the Birmingham area and are looking to sell these.

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  32. $16.99 on Amazon believe it or not.

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