Vintage Antique Augusta Street Paver From Tampa Bay Area of Florida

Description

Augusta Brick pavers were made in Columbia County Georgia beginning in 1902. This AUGUSTA brick was removed from one of the historic streets in the Tampa Bay area. It has some chips as can be seen in the pictures. It is 8-3/8" long by 3-3/8" wide and 3-1/2" high and weights about 7.5 pounds. Please see the pictures for more details on its condition.
If you live in the Augusta area and plan to visit friends on Florida’s west coast, drive down West Barcelona Street in Tampa, or Central Avenue in neighboring St. Petersburg. You’ll be riding on, or stepping on, pieces of history that originated in Columbia County, Georgia, in 1902. The Georgia Vitrified Brick & Clay Company was founded that year by the late Dock F. Jack and Frank R. Clark. Large beds of shale had been discovered near the community of Bel-Air on the Columbia-Richmond county border and huge clay deposits were found near Campania, just down Highway 78 from Harlem, Ga. The company’s manufacturing processes provided the right mix and a paving brick called AUGUSTA BLOCK was born. To vitrify a brick, it has to be fired at much higher temperatures than, say, building brick, to reduce its moisture absorption rate. The company’s administration headquarters were located in the city of Augusta, while the factory was in Campania in Columbia County.