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» Brickyards
» Mills
» The Baltimore Company or Baltimore Iron Works |
In addition to the agricultural activities, the Carroll’s land surrounding Mount Clare was also the site of some important early Baltimore industries:
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| BRICKYARDS |
The Carroll’s land was rich in brick making clay. These clay deposits were located between the Patapsco River and the rise upon which Mount Clare now stands. These clay fields would eventually provide a basis for Baltimore’s brick making industry throughout the 19th century. The area around today’s Washington Boulevard was known as Carroll’s Field, and was considered among the finest sources of brick making clay in the country at the time.
Mount Clare itself was built primarily from bricks made on the property. Charles Carroll, Barrister also purchased some brick from a local Baltimore merchant, Mark Alexander, in January, 1759.
In the 19th century, the Carroll family leased land in Carroll’s Field to a variety of brick making manufacturers, the largest being the Burns & Russell Company whose site was located at the present day entrance to Carroll Park. It has been estimated that 80% of the houses in Baltimore west of Jones Falls were made of Burns & Russell brick from Carroll’s Field. Burns & Russell, now called Spectra Development Corporation, is still producing masonry products today.
Besides Mount Clare, many other Maryland landmarks were built of brick from Carroll’s Field including the Baltimore Shot Tower, the B&O Railroad’s Mount Clare Station, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Old St. Paul’s Church, and the U.S. Naval Academy. Additionally, brick from this site was exported to England, France, and South America.
By the mid 1870s, the clay in the Carroll brick fields was essentially exhausted. Manufacturers were forced to close their plants and look elsewhere for the clay they needed to continue making bricks.
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