The Forever Chimney

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The Forever Chimney

This steam boiler chimney is a reminder of the brickmaking industry of the 1800s. Purchased by the Horlbeck family, this land was originally part of Boone Hall Plantation located two miles south of this site. The land mass surrounding this chimney once included an overseer’s house/ commissary, several workshops, drying areas, and kilns. Sand and red clay excavated from nearby Butterfly Lake, provided the perfect combination of materials. The clay and sand were excavated and molded into brick by enslaved workers and stacked to dry.
The steam boiler powered the mills and to mix the clay, sand, and water, and brickmaking machines in the 1830s. The 1850 Industrial Census reported that 50 male and 35 female slaves worked at the brickyard, producing approximately 4,000,000 bricks at a profit of approximately $28,000 a year. The brickyard continued operation and supplied bricks to the Lowcountry through the end of the nineteenth century. It remained an important landmark to the Horlbeck family after operations ceased. This is the only boiler chimney of its kind still standing in Mount Pleasant.