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The Brickyard

As early as the late 1700s the area behind the Academy was referred to as Brick Hill. It is here that Orford’s main brickyard existed and provided bricks for a number of structures in town including the Poor Farm. According to tax records, it was owned first by Thomas Mann and then, in the late 1800s, by Olcott Falls Corporation. This invoice of polls and ratable property shows that the brickyard was valued at $400.

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In the 1800s, the process for making clay involved five steps. The first was mining or winning the clay out of the soil. This was done with a shovel. The clay was then left exposed for a winter season, making it easier to work with. In the spring, it was placed in a soaking pit and mixed with water. This step was known as pugging or tempering and, as is evident in the photograph below, horses were used. The clay then went on to be molded, and just like greasing a cake pan, sand was used to line the moulds so the bricks could be removed smoothly. The bricks then dried for several days prior to the final step where the bricks were burned or fired. Brickyardenlarge