FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
Fort Eustis, Va. is located at one of the most historic regions in the United States, nestled among sites that tell the story of how the nation was born through colonization, battle and commerce. As expected, the history of the area makes finding artifacts and remnants of the past very likely.
A few hundred yards inside the woods, at the post's Training Area #23, lies the remains of the Davis and Kimpton Brickyard - a late 19th-century-era complex that used locally-dug clay and industrial machinery to manufacture bricks.
While little remains of the brickyard, the artifacts are preserved in a way that explains the manufacturing process. The rusted, piecemeal setup includes the hulk of an boiler and and steam engine, which drove a system of pulleys automating a majority of the process.
Pieces of a disintegrator, used to grind the clay and other elements into a uniform consistency, rest in a shallow, brick-walled pit. A worker would use a pug mill and brick machine to shape the clay composite into a long rectangular length of brick, cutting the mass into the pieces.
The pieces were then fired in a kiln, where they hardened into finished brick. Like other pieces of machinery, remains of the kiln, including trenches, brick foundations, and even pieces of the kiln door assembly, remain.
According to Christopher McDaid, the 733rd Civil Engineer Division's cultural resources manager, workers unearthed clay from large borrow pits in the earth adjacent to the machinery. Workers dug the pits out toward the Warwick River, leaving a small earthen dam to prevent flooding. Small man-made locks allowed workers to allow river water into the clay pits, softening the clay for easy removal.
From the pits, workers carted the clay to the machinery along a rail system. Remnants of the rail system, including an overturned cart embedded in the soil, are still visible. Even parts of a crudely fashioned road remain, which was built using a patchwork of waste bricks, or unusable product from the brickyard.
McDaid said records indicate the brickyard opened in 1898, officially closing in 1918 when the War Department purchased the land to establish Camp Abraham Eustis. However, he believes manufacturing ceased several years prior to the purchase, as the brickyard owners hastily accepted the purchase amount and abandoned their equipment.
Surviving records from 1906 summarize the brick-making business in eastern Virginia, but neither Davis nor Kimpton is mentioned. McDaid believes the small operation simply could not compete against larger, more industrialized operations in the area, and ceased production.
"Kimpton sold out to Davis after six or eight years, and the property started to be used as collateral for other actions, such as a loan or a deed of trust, by the time the government purchased the land," McDaid said. "The owners basically said 'thank you for the money, we're out of here.' That leads me to believe it had stopped being economically viable by the time the government came in."
Beside the collection of machinery and foundations, McDaid said he is most surprised the artifacts have remained in the woods over time.
"It's surprising it survived the second world war," he said, noting the era's scrap metal drives to fuel war production. "Perhaps it was too far back off the beaten path and too bulky for anyone to bother with."
McDaid said the brick manufacturing operation is integrally related to both the local history and to general trends within the industry.
"The high integrity of the remains is an important characteristic of the site since it allows for a comprehensive understanding of an applied manufacturing process in a technological and regional historic context," he explained.
As with all areas of Fort Eustis, unauthorized access is strictly prohibited. The area is regularly patrolled by military police and state authorities. For more information about the Davis and Kimpton Brickyard, contact McDaid by emailing
christopher.l.mcdaid.civ@mail.mil.