Colchester, IL – The old phrase "One man's junk is another man's treasure" has proven to be true for a historic site in western Illinois. That site is The Moses King Brick & Tile Works National Historic District in Colchester.
The site was used to make bricks beginning in 1881. Brick and metal buildings rose out of acres of the western Illinois prairie. The kilns stood like giant brick igloos.
The last brick was baked there in 1968. The site eventually became a dumping ground for all kinds of debris until current owner Dev bought it 17 years ago.
Since then, volunteers helped clear the junk and planted trees. Fish ponds were dug and over time The Brickyard, as it's commonly called, became a place where art just seemed to happen. Old junk and debris that had been rusting for decades became sculptures across the landscape. Reclaimed materials are still taken there to be given new life as works of art.
You can listen to reporter Tyson Terhune's feature about the evolution of the Brickyard site by clicking on the audio button.
Additional information:
*Literature from The Brickyard says that during its heyday, the site included seven beehive kilns (four still exist). There were also two exhaust stacks, a factory/dryer building, a tile equipment shed, a tile horse barn, a machine shop, an office building, and various sheds.
*50 tons of clay per day were run through the plant, yielding 60 bricks per minute, 3,600 bricks per hour, and 86,400 bricks over a 24 hour period. Bricks from the site can be seen in many places, including the Lamoine Hotel, Hainline Theater, and the Camp Ellis chimneys.
*Dev and part-owner and caretaker Tim Schroll enlisted the aid of the Illinois Division of Forestry, WIU students and faculty, and family and friends to plant more than 600 trees on the site.
*The Brickyard was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It's listed as Moses King Brick & Tile Works National Historic District.
*In March 2006, the Moses King Brick & Tile Works National Historic District, Corp. was granted 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status.