The most fundamental question asked at Vermont Brick Manufacturing
is "What is Waterstruck Brick?"
In manufacturing traditional Vermont Waterstruck Brick, the noun "waterstruck" describes both a specific type of soft mud molded brick and the process by which that type of brick
is manufactured. Relatively wet surface alluvial clay, deposited at the end of the Ice Age
in a few parts of New England including the Champlain Valley, is ram pressed into molds wetted with sodium silicate or "waterglass". As the ram lifts up, a blade sweeps across the top of the seven brick mould box thus "striking" off the excess clay.
The mould box slides out from under the ram and as a new empty mould slides in behind, the full mould box is flipped over which empties the seven very wet or "green" bricks onto
a small drying pallet. As these green bricks slide from their individual sections of the mould box, the troweling effect of the wetted mould against the very soft clay creates a textural effect that after drying and firing manifests itself as a patina unachievable through any other brick making method.
In addition to an uncommon and rugged handsomeness, the physical properties of waterstruck brick are almost never matched by other brick types and certainly never surpassed. The irregularity of bricks that appear 200 years old the day they are produced
is a throwback to the days when most products were truly "manufactured" or "made by hand." This combination of unique beauty and near indestructivity defines the fabric of daily life in the Northeast. People rarely hear of waterstruck brick but it serves them anonymously and with dignity every day.
Waterstruck brick is the real thing. It is absolutely authentic rather than a simulation of the past. Less and less waterstruck brick has been made over the second half of the century.
It seems very fitting that Vermont would be the state to lend itself to the renaissance of
a beautiful, tough, and fundamentally honest product. A product that when purchased today will still be in use in the year 2200.
The short list of projects below gives one a sense of waterstruck brick's role in the country's history.
Col. Peter Tufts House (Pre-1700) Riverside Avenue, Medford, MA
Generally considered the oldest standing brick residence in British North America, its bricks were made of clay dug from the banks of the Mystic River some one hundred yards away. The home, currently owned by the Medford Historical Society.
Christ Church (1723)
Commonly known as "Old North Church", Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized it in his poem celebrating Paul Revere's ride. The structure was built of locally produced bricks years before Revere was born. Christ Church remains in daily use.
Genzyme Corp. (c. 1994)
The building juxtaposes traditional waterstruck brick and contemporary, crisp design in a unique but subtle way. The architects helped the client send a message to customers, employees and investors that no matter how leading edge its genetic biotechnology may be, its corporate values remain basic, honest, and solid.
Market Square (c. 1979)
Hometown of John Paul Jones and the United States Navy, Portsmouth's restoration of this classic early American town center remains a textbook on how to keep things human scale and authentic. The waterstruck brick pavers, while relatively new, defy dating as they were and continue to be produced in exactly the manner and of the same clay as the originals. Original waterstruck brick pavers from the early days of Portsmouth can still be seen in the adjacent Strawberry Banke Historical Restoration.
