This recording has been made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Jeanann Gray Dunlap Foundation.

The History of Brickmaking on Fishers Island

Directed by Marisela La Grave and Pierce Rafferty.

This recorded illustrated talk by Museum Director Pierce Rafferty traces the evolution of brickmaking on Fishers Island from its small-scale origins in the Colonial period to its exponential expansion in the late 19th century, followed by a precipitous collapse in the early 20th.

At its height in the 1880s, the brickyard on Fishers Island was one of the largest in the Northeast—some claimed the entire country—with a production capacity of 18 million bricks per annum. Enjoy the many twists and turns of The History of Brickmaking on Fishers Island.

Claypit Views and Brickyard Maps, Fishers Island, N.Y.