Indiana Brick Manufacturer Keeps Industry History Alive

Vermillion County Indiana, a rural area rich in clay and shale, is home to one of the last two surviving coal-fired brick plants in the United States. The Colonial Brick Company produces brick from materials extracted from its 50-acre compound and bakes them in 11 beehive-shaped kilns fired by 46 coal-burning furnaces. The plant’s turn-of-the-century methods produce 53,000 brick per day in 18 different colors and textures, including a much sought after clinker.

Colonial Brick President Dan Swartz and his partner Paul Atkinson bought the business in 1965 and have been using the same manufacturing methods ever since. “People think I’m crazy, but I love bricks,” says Swartz.

The process of brick making begins with a 160,000-pound backhoe tearing into the company’s clay and shale mine. Next, the materials are mixed with water and then molded. The kilns are fired up, the green brick is hardened, and two weeks later a batch of Colonial Brick are ready to go in the wall.

The company’s longevity can also be attributed to skilled and dedicated workers like Newt Leplinger, a 27-year veteran brick maker who runs the plant’s pug mill. Leplinger, as well as the other Colonial Brick employees, are members of the United Steelworkers of America. “I believe in unions,” says Swartz, “and I’m glad we have one here. In all of our years of operation we’ve never had a labor problem at the plant.”

This attitude has paid off. Colonial’s insurance and workers’ compensation rates are 29% below industry averages, and the plant has never had a death or serious injury despite the industry’s inherent dangers.

“It’s an absolute fact that the quality of work you get out of people is directly proportionate to how well you treat them,” adds Swartz.
Today, the company ships its products to 150 retail suppliers in five midwestern states.