Despite the legends that the bricks for the step-gable buildings of colonial Albany came from Holland as ballast, most of the hundreds of buildings erected in the city before the Industrial Revolution were made locally. The tradesmen or artisans who cut and baked them from native clays and rocksd were a numerous and vital part of the early Albany production economy.

This page begins to offer information on the production of bricks and stones and on the brickbakers, stonecutters, and masons of early Albany.

Walls, bridges, and cobblestones and wells.

Please be patient when following this link to more information about bricks on this website.

In 1756, were identified as either brick makers or masons on a census of householders taken by the British army.