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Originally published Nov. 1, 1982
Many who were in Marietta in the 1920s and earlier remember the Tom Cisler brickyard that operated near the sites of the present YMCA and Peoples Banking & Trust Co. drive-in facility.
George T. Hovey of 412 Sixth St. remembers it in a special way. It fascinated him when he was a young boy playing in and near the plant that produced bricks for Marietta streets and buildings and for shipment elsewhere.
Here are Hovey's recollections in his own words:
"When I was a boy, eight to 12 years old, I spent much time there watching the brick making. John and Paul Dietz, nephews of the owner, were there also. Perhaps that was the reason the men were so good to me.
"The clay for the brick was brought down from the hill where the Marietta Junior High School stands. Dynamite was used to blast the clay loose. I stayed away when the men dynamited because I was afraid.
“The men on the hill loaded a dump wagon that ran on a track like a railroad. The clay was loaded by hand. The dump car ran down to a trestle near Glendale Road.
“After the car full of clay was brought down from the top of the hill by a pulley system, it was unloaded and returned empty to the top of the hill. This was done by horses at the bottom of the hill, pulling a cable to which the car was attached. There was a constant up and down motion that sounded like fury. Someone with a team of horses would be waiting to haul the clay to the brickyard.
“The clay was ground up fine and then mixed with water, forced through a machine which brought it out in long pieces the width of a brick. Mac Britton supervised this operation. It was cut into brick size by wire blades. The separated bricks were put into carts and pushed into the drying rooms. These rooms had fire under them to dry the bricks.
“Two Casto brothers hauled the dry brick on special wheelbarrows to the kiln for burning. There were long metal plates on which to push the wheelbarrows. I understood these metal plates came from the Muskingum bridge when the 1913 flood wrecked it.
“The bricks were put into the kiln at the direction of Moss West.
“There were several smaller kilns that were covered at the top. There were several larger kilns that were covered with strips of metal roofing when they were burning. It usually took about a week to burn the brick.
“Gas was used to fire the kiln. The light given out by these kilns at night was an awesome sight – kind of scary.
“Den Britton supervised the loading of the brick from the kiln into wagons. Later, trucks were used. Bricks were shipped out of town by railroad. We tried to help Den load the conveyor that moved the brick.
“The men wore pieces of leather instead of gloves. These pieces were cut from belting used in the machinery. They slipped over the fingers to give protection from the rough bricks. It was a real man’s job.
“All of the machinery was run by steam power with gas used to fire the boiler providing the steam. Mrs. Weinstock was the engineer and mighty good to us kids.
“There was a large wooden tank filled with warm water where the men took a bath before going home. Maybe it was the forerunner of the modern hot tub! I came home so dirty Mother must have thought I was not worth cleaning up. but she did. The Dietz boys and I used to make clay marbles and other objects to fire in the kiln. It was great fun.
“The brickyard was not locked at night. Tramps stayed there in the warmth all night. Many a one came to our house for a hand-out breakfast. Mother never refused a breakfast. Half afraid of these strange men, we looked at them not knowing from where they came or where they were going, sort of wishing to go along.
“There was not much work in winter months. Building business was slow in winter and clay hard to dig.
“Some of the same men would turn up for work in the spring. I had an uncle who worked there. William Boston. He was a strong handsome guy.
“Mr. Tom Cisler made a special brick for the Marietta Junior High (Senior High then) Then he quit the business. When the gym was built, more of this special brick was needed to match the main building. Mr. Cisler started the brick yard up again to provide the brick.
“Many of Marietta’s streets are still paved with Cisler brick. Would it not be beautiful if they all were?
“As I used to sit in the study hall in the building at the top of the hill trying to study, my mind was exploding with remembered scenes and noises of men working and a car thundering up and down the hill. It was a different atmosphere for men than for most of the kids in the room. I was privileged.”
Ted Bauer was the editorial page editor of The Marietta Times until he retired in 1987, He wrote a popular weekly column for many years. Bauer died in October at 104. As a tribute to Bauer, The Times is reprinting several of his columns.