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This vacant lot used to be part of the Aufderheide Brickyard, one of two brickyards in New Ulm in the 1800's. I need to track down a picture, but one or two of these trees were from the original homestead from over one hundred years ago!
Be sure to use stealth as there is a lot of traffic and watching eyes from nearby hotels.
My great-great-grandfather, Fred Aufderheide, came to the United States from Germany in 1870, at the age of 17. He stayed in Cincinnati for 5 years, where he learned and perfected his knowledge of brick making. He moved to New Ulm in 1875 and established the Aufderheide Brickyard, which became a well-known and major supplier of bricks.
The original bricks were red, as the soft, salmon colored clays from the riverbanks used to make the bricks burned to a dark red color. As the supply of red brick clay was exhausted, a dragline was used to excavate clay from beneath the water surface. This deeper clay was more yellow. Even though the color of the bricks changed, the quality remained the same.
The clay was ground through a crusher, mixed with water and then placed into a mold. Each mold made 6 bricks, which were sent to a drying shed by a cable transport system. The bricks dried in the shed for approximately one month before they were placed into the Skogie Kiln and burned. As there wasn’t much demand for bricks during the cold season, the men spent the winter cutting and collecting the wood needed for burning the bricks in the warmer seasons.
In addition to bricks, the brickyard also made concrete drain tile and culverts. Much of the underground pipes in New Ulm were made at the Aufderheide Brickyard. My Grandpa and his cousins spent many summer days rolling down hills in those concrete pipes and playing in the brickyard. Most of them also helped out at the Brickyard when they were older.
After World War II ended, the brick business was no longer profitable. The plant was old and needed repairs and newer materials were in demand, replacing the need for the clay brick. In 1949, the brick manufacturing operation ceased, but the concrete operation continued. As the family grew older, the children moved on to other fields and had no interest in maintaining the family business. In 1982, the entire facility, including the homestead, was sold. After 107 years of operation, the Aufderheide Brickyard came to an end.
The homestead was located on this vacant lot and some of these trees are originals from the 1800s. From this spot looking east (toward river), the lot also contained barns, a blacksmith shop, the plant, and an office. German Street was a railroad spur. Across the railroad was the tile and product storage. The brick storage was next to that. There are lots of big trees there now, but you can still see some remnant concrete tiles and broken bricks. Looking south, across 19th Street (to the hotel), was the clay mixing pit, brick machine, drying shed, burning shed, and kiln. Behind you, were the clay and sand pits and storage.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ABG va gur cvcr!