Brickyard Park

Brickmaking in Hastings began in 1878, six years after the town was established. After much of downtown was destroyed by fire in September 1879, the city required future commercial buildings to use fireproof materials, and brickyards sprang up to supply brick for new buildings. Western Brick and Supply Company was established at this site in 1900 and later added a second yard on the east side of town. At their peak, the two sites employed upwards of 120 workers and produced twenty-four million bricks and tile each year. In 1942, a fire destroyed the east yard, and the facility here supplied brick for construction of the Naval Ammunition Depot southeast of Hastings. During WWII, German POWs worked in this yard. The brickyard at this site was destroyed by fire in 1946, but Western Brick continued operations at another facility purchased from Polenske Brothers-Schellak & Co. The smokestack, kiln, and clay pit recall Hastings’ role as an important brick-manufacturing center of Nebraska.

Hastings, Nebraska · United States