Cobblestone Beach was a limestone quarry. Cobb's Lake
was formed by taking limestone blocks from this quarry. Many
of these blocks were used in almost all foundations in early
Bedford. (Check out many of Bedford's basements and the
Court House.)
The "brickyard," on the other hand, was located on John Whittington's land about a quarter of a mile northeast of Cobb's limestone quarry. The "brickyard" had red bricks scattered all about. Limestone is yellowish.
Cobb's Limestone quarry eventually made three lakes. A little one to the west was where limestone could be seen. The largest one was used to get ice during the winter and was eventually drained so the state could build Lake Road to the Lake of Three Fires. The medium lake was used for swimming during the summer and had a waterslide. Vic Robinson was the lifeguard.
The fired color of clay bricks is influenced by the chemical
and mineral content of raw materials, the firing temperature and
the atmosphere in the kiln. For example, pink colored bricks
are the result of high iron content, white or yellow bricks have
higher lime content. Most bricks burn to various red hues, if
the temperature is increased the color moves through dark red,
purple and then to brown or grey at around 1,300 C (2,372
F). Calcium silicate bricks have a wider range of shades and
colors, depending on the colorants used. The names of bricks
may reflect their origin and color, such as London Red and
Cambridgeshire White. |