The Old Brickyard

The Old Brickyard. . In 1721 the French colonial headquarters made its fourth move on the Coast: Old Biloxi to New Biloxi with the intentions of building a permanent fort of bricks. Abundant ideal brick clay, was discovered here, the best of four resource sites. After starting production, the fort was cancelled and the headquarters moved to the Mississippi River–to become New Orleans. Bricks were in demand (the Ursuline Nun's Convent is one of the structures). In 1726, under Captain Joseph Moran, 400,000 bricks were produced at this yard. Blacks, Indians, Croatians, Spaniards, Swiss, Austrians, Irish and English eventually worked the yard. For two centuries the operations changed ownership four times: First, Colin J. McRae. After his death his partner and manager, another Joseph Moran, sold the yard to Robert Kendall of New Orleans. (The original and extended mineral rights were of land owned by McRae, Hanson and Alsbury.) After a major fire halted operations in 1853, the Commercial Bank of Natchez foreclosed and sold the brickyard (one story dwelling, kitchen, Negro and Indian cabins, brickyard and shed) to James Robb for $25,000. The yard resumed operations as the Imperial Brickyard until 1908. It never reopened. Evidence of the old brickyard is quite visible today.