Brandon Brick Works was established in the spring of 1882 by local entrepreneur Joseph Edward Woodworth. By June of 1882, he had acquired the services of T. D. Whiting, an experienced brick-maker formerly from Pullman Brick Works near Chicago, Illinois, USA. While the colouring of the brick produced at this brick yard is unknown, they were molded using Philadelphia-made Martin machines which were capable of turning out 50,000 bricks per day. At first, Woodworth made several bad orders because he had a problem with the bricks cracking while drying.
In the late 1890s, the company was owned by J. Sampson and Henry Sampson, though it is not known if this was the same brick-making firm that was previously owned by Woodworth circa 1882. Henry Sampson was the principal member of the firm and was a prominent figure in the brick industry in 1903. It was around this time that he also became involved in the formation of the Brandon Brick and Lumber Company when a brick shortage in the Brandon area put pressure on local contractors.
One of the later owners, around 1912, was William Bell.
Manitoba Brickmakers by Hugh Henry, Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, 1992.
Manitoba Brick Yards by Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch Report, May 2010.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 April 2023
Manitoba Bricks and Blocks
A history of the manufacture of bricks and concrete blocks in Manitoba, based on research by Randy Rostecki for the Manitoba Historic Resources Branch and supplemented by information compiled by Gordon Goldsborough of the Manitoba Historical Society. .
Bricks | Blocks | People | Glossary
We thank Hugh Arklie, Gordon McDiarmid, and Heather Bertnick for their help in the development of this online guide. Financial support of the Thomas Sill Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. Additional information was provided by Ina Bramadat, David Butterfield, Neil Christoffersen, Frank Korvemaker, Ed Ledohowski, Ken Storie, Lynette Stow, and Tracey Winthrop-Meyers.
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Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, Gordon Goldsborough, and Manitoba Historical Society.
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