Abstract:
Brickmaking in North Carolina dates back to the late 1600s with the state's oldest brick house dating from 1730. Currently the state ranks second behind Texas in brickmaking. There were thirty manufacturers in 1960, but automation, acquisitions, and the recent recession shrank that number to thirteen. Of that number seven are family-owned businesses. The Statesville Brick Company, founded in 1904, is the state's oldest family-owned company.