Troy Bricks

Troy NY is a quirky sort of place.

A hub of industry during Americas industrial revolution. Troy has proven to be a vibrant eclectic gem of a city for close to 250 years.

Early on, Uncle Sam Wilson, butcher from Troy, began creating bricks. Made with clay he dug in his backyard. He was making the first bricks made in America. Before Uncle Sam, bricks were imported from the Netherlands!

Quickly, a new American industry in brick making blossomed up and down the Hudson Valley. Makers began stamping their bricks to identify locations and makers. Many opinions were held at the time as to where the best brick making clay was along the banks of the Hudson river, so it was important to stamp your bricks. It was a competitive market and the population of America was growing quickly. Cities needed brick to build with. Many early american brick buildings still stand that are made with Uncle Sams Troy bricks.

These Troy bricks are cast ceramic tiles. They are replicas of original, old Troy bricks pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building. With an eye toward our historic city and its many decades, we explore what we have gained and what we have lost through images transferred from paper to ink.

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