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.
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- Brickyard section detail from U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey map, Fisher’s Island, New York, 1882. Museum Collection.
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- Early view of claypit and mining platform, Fishers Island, N.Y., circa 1880s. Museum Collection.
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- Clay Pit, Fishers Island, N.Y., September 3, 1890. Museum Collection.
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- Advertisement for Fishers Island Brick Manufacturing Co., 1899. Museum Collection.
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- Detail view of brickyard section of E.M. & W. Ferguson map, “Poultry to Barlow,” circa 1905.
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- Clay Pits partially filled with water, Fishers Island, NY, circa 1909. Museum Collection.
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- Abandoned clay pits, Fishers Island, N.Y., circa 1926. Museum Collection.
