Sylacauga, AL. Brickyard

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I would like to know any infomation y'all might have about the former Brickyard in Sylacauga, AL. From studying a photograph of the brickyard I think I have determined that it was located where the current Bama Budweiser and the surrounding area is located. The signal at the East end of Sylacauga before heading up to or down from Trammells is called out by the NS as "brickyard", so I fairly sure of it's former location. I want to know general info such as when built, when closed and torn down, etc. From the photo it looks like possibly the Budweiser spur that is now being pulled out may have been one of the spurs into the brickyard. Also, at the entrance to Bama Bud there is a round circle of bricks low to the ground being used as a flower bed that I suspect may have been one of the ovens. Not sure on this though. Any help is appreciated.

Dale Burns Webmaster, Dale's Alabama Rail Pic's http://StagmiesALRailpics.homestead.com/Home.html

-- Dale E. Burns (burns186@bellsouth.net), August 25, 2002

Answers

Dale, Check your library & historical society for old Sanbourn Insurance maps which show most sidings, etc. Some old insurance agencies have them. In many states they have been put on microfilm in libraries or state archives.

-- Conrad Cheatham (ccheatham@ureach.com), August 27, 2002.

The library in Sylacauga has historical telephone directories that should go back far enough to list the brickyard. From that you could get a street lisitng.

Also, the library has a collection of business guides that list local business. These go back at least to the 50s and could give you another data point. I believe that there are some aerial photos in these.

When Debra went north past Main street and turned left she would have been in L&N country, and she would have crossed the L&N siding to Avondale. L&N had quite a bit of business in this area, off the old Talladega Highway, including an oil company and some Rumsey operations.

I remember going to that area with her Daddy, too, (she is my No. 1 Fav Aunt and this was my GrandDaddy) but not where we went. Maybe it was to the brickyard she remembers. I just remember the oil tanks from the oil company.

Anyhow, looks like there were at least two sources of bricks in Sylacauga, the one Dale is asking about on the CofGa and the one Debra is writing about on the L&N. The "old yeller" pages should reveal all.

-- Ron. Wright (ron@cofg.org), August 26, 2002.


I don't know if this is the same place you are talking aobut but when I was a little girl I would go with my Daddy to pick up bricks. This was located on Louisville Ave. Leaving Talladega Highway you would go between Noble Patk (this park covers both sides of the road and I think this is 10th Street). Go to Main Street (this use to be a red light but now it is a caution light). Continue straight and go about 1/2 block. Take left and cross railroad tracks. There was a white building (which is no longer there) on the right. This road now goes through to the Talladega Highway but I don't remember it going all the way through at the time. I remember going into the building with Daddy, then we would go outside and he would pull over to the side and the would load the bricks. This may be something else entirely - I just remember the concrete blocks and the red bricks there.

-- Debra Hornsby Grogan (debbear@bellsouth.net), August 25, 2002.

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