Vintage 1880 Old Antique 19 Century Brick Earthworm Print Architectural Salvage

Description

Unique and Unusual Architectural Find 1880 Only 1 Available! Brick with Earthworm Print
During our demolition of this 1880 brick building located in the small farming village of Bloomville, Ohio, we often come across unusual brick with prints cast in them. These prints are usually animal footprints.
During the 1880’s brick were handmade locally. A pit was dug to unearth the clay. The clay was generally allowed to soften in the pit filled with water. Often times a team of horses would be walked over the clay to soften and break down even further.
The clay would then be placed into wooden molds and eventually arranged into the open fields for the sun to dry. During this time that the bricks were laying in the fields, animals of all varieties and curiosities would amble over the still-soft clay and cast their footprints into eternity!
After tossing several of these brick to the side for building reuse, it suddenly dawned on us that these squiggly lines in the brick were actually earthworm impressions from the 19th century! The giveaway was after closer examination, we could actually see the ringed impressions from the worms body. Look at the close-up pictures that we included with this listing to view for yourself. This is the only brick with this impression that we had saved!
These brick prints have not seen the light of day for over 140 years until now!
Perfect gift for someone wanting a unique historical piece of Americana!
Brick measure 2-1/2” thick x 4” wide x 8” length and weigh around 4 lbs.