Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park near Preston in Fillmore County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Forestville Brickyard
Photographed by McGhiever, October 4, 2025
1. Forestville Brickyard Marker
Forestville's brickyard was in this area. The clay for the bricks was mined from the hillside directly behind you. The streambed in front of you once supplied water for the brickyard.
In 1855, John Gill moved to Forestville from Ohio. He opened his brick business and started buildingfirst the schoolhouse, then the Meighen Store and residence, then Robert Foster's house. Forestville bricks also found their way into Fillmore County's first courthouse in Preston, Minnesota.
Fillmore County Courthouse, Preston, MN, 1911
Courtesy Fillmore County Historical Society
Erected by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.
Location. 43° 38.967′ N, 92° 12.868′ W. Marker is near Preston, Minnesota, in Fillmore County. It is in Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park. It can be reached from the Sugar Camp Hollow Trail west of County Road 118. The marker is just east of trail intersection #3. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Preston MN 55965, United States
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Minnesota and in Greater Rochester. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Driftless Area Bluff Country. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Graded School (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Robert Foster House (approx. Ό mile away); Brick Schoolhouse (approx. 0.3 miles away); Zumbro Hill Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Meighen Store (approx. half a mile away); Historic Forestville (approx. half a mile away); Bridges at Forestville (approx. half a mile away); South Branch of the Root River (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Preston.
Photographed by McGhiever, October 4, 2025
2. Forestville Brickyard Marker (left) on the Sugar Camp Hollow Trail just before trail intersection #3
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 40 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 4, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
