Red Brick Roads

Subject: Red Brick Roads Fri 03 Aug 2007, 9:34 am

I've seen two red brick roads in old downtowns. I'd like to know more about them. When were bricks used for paving streets? How common was this?

Thanks for your answer.
Madelyn

Subject: Re: Red Brick Roads Fri 03 Aug 2007, 12:52 pm

Madelyn ...

At least part of Greenville Avenue which passed through Richardson at one time was paved with brick. I believe, also, that Farmersville has uncovered the brick paving around its square -- have you seen that? Plano's 14th Street, perhaps, as well?

I remember a relative speaking of having helped to lay a brick highway .... which must have been located in Stevens or Palo Pinto Counties, as he was a resident of Breckenridge.

Will try to find out more.

Holly
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Trailblazer Joined : 29 May 2007 Posts : 88

Brick roads were quite common at least into the 1920s. You can find some in Fort Worth, there was a stretch of highway west of Fort Worth (Weatherford to Mineral Wells, perhaps, at least), part of which (I think) may remain. Texline had and probably still ahs some brick streets.

There were some brick streets in Houston (I didn't know taht until we encountered a re-paving job on South Wayside - the old asphalt had been chewed off and the bricks left exposed, though when the job was complete, they were covered with asphalt again).

Nacogdoches, where I now live has some broeck streets downtown.

For a pretty good idea of just what is involved in laying a brick road, find a copy of the interesting book BUILDING TEH LONE STAR, as one of the articles in it deals with a brick highway job (the Fort Worth or Weatherford to Mineral Wells st etch, if memory serves; been a while since I read that particular book).

Guest

weren't these roads also called cobblestone roads?

Trailblazer Joined : 29 May 2007 Posts : 88

Don't think so. Cobblestone is a different deal - naturally rounded rocks (usually six inches or so in diameter IIRC) collected from beaches or rivers and laid. Makes for a rough ride in a car, i promise (I encountered some in Europe when I was stationed in Germany 1966-6 Cool

. Also, usually laid in a bed of sand over gravel, while brick streets are actually, usually, a brick running surface laid over a concrete base.

Guest

thanks clyde... very interesting.

Joined : 07 Jun 2008 Posts : 4

There were numerous brick mfg. companies in operation in East Texas long before the turn of the century, (1900), and wereommonly used to pave streets and town squares. As a young child, I distinctly remember how hot those red bricks were on bare feet running across the street in Longview, Texas during the summer time! My family also had relatives near Sulphur Springs, Texas, which still has red brick around the court house town square street.