Historic Christ Church-Brick Kilns

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Robert Carter's Brick Kilns

The bricks used to construct Christ Church were fired on site, in a brickyard south of the church set up by Robert Carter and his brickmaker in the early 1720s. Although construction of the building itself did not begin until around 1730, Carter’s diary reveals that some five to six years earlier he had established a large-scale brickmaking operation on church grounds that would ultimately produce the roughly half million bricks used to build Christ Church.
The fine brickwork evident in Christ Church's walls stands out over the tombs of (from left) Robert Carter; Betty Landon Carter, Carter's second wife; Judith Armistead Carter, Carter's first wife; and (after small historical marker) Mary Walker Carter, Carter's granddaughter.	Carter's first reference to brickmaking at the site takes place in December 1722, when he observed that workmen had "begun digging brick at the Church Earth." On September 12, 1723 Carter notes he had “agreed” with the brickmaker, who had begun “to make the Yard.” Several weeks later, on September 30, Carter contracted with brickmaker James Bryan to make 200,000 bricks during the summer of 1724. Bryan began molding these on April 13, 1724; by May 12 he informed Carter he had already made some 56,000. Bryan probably completed these first 200,000 sometime late in the summer. By February of 1725, Carter was ready to fire these bricks. Bryan began “Setting” the kilns on the 15th, and by the 24th the last kiln was stacked with bricks and ready to be fired. That night Carter recorded in his dairy that he had “Set my kiln on fire.” Four days later, on Sunday, February 28, Carter kept tract of the kilns while attending church: Sunday rainey went to Church a very thin Congregation 5 holes of my kiln quite black by the coming out of the Church the fires were very well up
The kilns burned until that Tuesday, March 2. In July of 1725, Carter again contracted with Bryan for another 200,000 bricks. Carter stated he was to pay Bryan three shillings per thousand for Bryan’s “well making & well burning them.” Bryan would produce “as many as ever he can this summer” and the rest he would make the following spring of 1726.
With work on his Corotoman mansion nearing completion, Carter made it clear that the primary purpose for these bricks was that they be used in the construction of a new church for Christ Church Parish whenever the vestry undertook the project. In his will, which he first signed on August 22, 1726, Carter stipulated that it is my further Will that the bricks that are now made & burnt shall be appropriated to the Building of the said Brick Church or as many thereof as will perfect the building and likewise the bricks that shall be made and be there at my decease...

By 1730, the vestry had yet to start work on the brick church. Carter then proposed to build it at his own expense, which the vestry accepted. It would take until 1735 to see Carter's vision finally realized and then only after Carter himself had died in 1732 at the age of 69.

In the end, the thousands of bricks which were painstakingly molded by hand and fired in the kilns gave the building a character unique among colonial Virginia’s Anglican churches. From the rubbed and gauged bricks which highlight the windows and doors to the glazed headers scattered throughout the Flemish bond walls, Christ Church’s brickwork exhibited a craftsmanship unrivaled in the colonies.

This view of the south doorway shows the craftsmanship and detail of Christ Church's brickwork.

Armed with Carter’s diary and its descriptions of the work at the kilns, the Foundation hopes archaeological research into the kiln sites themselves will generate even more knowledge about this important part of Christ Church’s past. Excavation of these sites will present the Foundation with a unique opportunity not only to learn more about the construction history of Christ Church but to study and document one of the few well-preserved, large-scale industrial sites in Virginia prior to 1750.