From the late 1800's through the 1930's, Canton, Ohio, was considered the world's leading manufacturer of paving brick because it had well-established shipping routes and large quantities of natural clay and shale. In 1887, Civil War Captain William S. Williams built a brick plant in this vicinity with beehive brick kilns that could produce 20,000 bricks per day. He began operations using clay but soon found that vitrified shale was a better option, and this property contained abundant shale that could be mined. The plant was successful at first, but competition forced Williams to sell it in 1901 to the Model Brick Works, beginning a legacy of multiple owners, including Acme Brick Company, Home Brick Company, and Canton Brick and Fireproofing Company, during the plant's 47-year history. In 1934, the City of Canton purchased the property with grant money from the Timkin Foundation. The shale pit area went to the Canton City Board of Education, which used the quarried amphitheater-like setting to build Fawcett Stadium, now the site of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, while the rest of the property became Stadium Park, the Pro Football Hall of Fame museum site, and Interstate 77.