Princeton Brickyards. The great demand for the brick manufactured in this locality during the past season has resulted in the preliminary work for the establishing two additional brickyards in the clay belt above the village. E. M. Farnham, who was formerly interested in the manufacture of brick here but who has been operating a yard at Pelican Rapids this season, will have one of the new yards, and Farnham Bros., of Minneapolis, will open the second. The work of clearing the ground is now fully under way and both yards will undoubtedly be in operation next season. During the past season the demand for Princeton brick has been much greater than the product of the three yards which are operating at present would supply. In July every brick which it would be possible to manufacture during the season of 1899, had been sold and the principal business of the proprietors during the coming winter will be the refusing of orders and shipping the brick already sold. The reputation our manufacturers have succeeded in establishing for turning out the best brick to be made in Minnesota has brought about this condition of affairs, a condition which must be truly acceptable to them. The brick industry in this section is still in its infancy but it is already a might healthy infant. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, November 2, 1899, Volume XXIII, Number 47, Page 1)
A New Company. Elsewhere in this issue is published the articles of incorporation of the Cream Brick company. The members of the new firm are E. M. Farnham and Charles Keith, of this village, and A. L. Farnham, until recently of Minneapolis. All are well known and highly respected business men and the Messrs. Farnham possess practical knowledge of the business and have had years of experience. The new company will operate extensively next year and should be successful from the beginning. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, November 30, 1899, Volume XXIII, Number 51, Page 5)
The Cream Brick company has finished the work of building its boarding house at its new brickyard and the Farnham Brick company now has a crew at work on a similar building at their location. The former building is 30x32 and the latter will be 30x30 when completed. Both concerns are rushing the preliminary work and will be ready to begin the work of manufacturing early in the spring. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, December 21, 1899, Volume XXIV, Number 2, Page 8)
Princeton. Brick Manufacturing. – Cream Brick Co. Second Inspection 1900. Adults – Male - 30. Total No. Employed - 30. No. Hours Labor Each Day - 10. Average No. Weeks Employed in Year – 26. (Seventh Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor of the State of Minnesota, 1899-1900, Pioneer Press Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1900, Page 117)
Farnham & Bradford have sold their sawmill to the Cream Brick company, who will continue to operate it. The mill is now running to its full capacity and is prepared to attend to the business of the farmers in this line. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, February 8, 1900, Volume XXIV, Number 9, Page 5)
The Cream Brick Co., the Princeton Brick Co., and Woodcock & Oakes, are all burning kilns this week. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, August 22, 1901, Volume XXV, Number 37, Page 5)
The Cream Brick Co. announces that last week it made in a ten hours’ run 72,712 brick. Milton Farnham was foreman of the crew and Peter Person and Bill Foley were on the machines. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, June 12, 1902, Volume XXVI, Number 26, Page 2)
Brick Yards to Start Up. The brick yards up at Brickton are beginning to show signs of life and activity. Already the Cream Brick Co. is burning a kiln of brick made last fall and all the yards are busy getting in shape for the season’s work. It is expected that if the weather gets settled that operations will commence the first of next week. There promises to be a big demand for brick this year. All the Brickton stock of last season has been sold and the yards will push operations as fast as possible to get brick ready to fill the orders now on hand. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, April 23, 1903, Volume XXVII, Number 19, Page 1)
J. R. Farnham of the Cream Brick Co., has interested himself in the organization of the "Flour City Brick Co," with yards at Camden Place, Minneapolis. Mr. Farnham is president of the new company. He still retains his interest in the Cream Brick Co. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, April 30, 1903, Volume XXVII, Number 20, Page 5)
Brick Yards Close Down. Last Saturday the brick yards all closed down for the season after a rather poor season, from the standpoint of weather conditions. The four yards of the Cream Brick Co., Woodcock & Oakes, Farnham Brick Co., and Princeton Brick Co., turned out the past season about 14,000,000 brick, of which Woodcock & Oakes made 3,500,000, Cream Brick Co., 3,250,000, and the Farnham and Princeton Brick companies about 3,000,000 each. Last year the same companies made 19,000,000 brick. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, September 10, 1903, Volume XXVII, Number 39, Page 7)
The Farnham Brick Co. and the Cream Brick Co. each have a kiln afire and are just having miserable weather. At any time the life of a brick burner is no snap and such weather makes it doubly disagreeable. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, October 8, 1903, Volume XXVII, Number 43, Page 8)
The Cream Brick Co.’s head burner is burning a kiln of nearly six arches at the yards of the Princeton Brick Co. It is being burned mainly for the purpose of experimenting and is being watched very closely by all the local cracks and burners. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, October 22, 1903, Volume XXVII, Number 45, Page 8)
Page 298. Princeton. Brick and Tile – 1903. Cream Brick Co. Total Number Wage Earners - 30. Adult Males - 29. Males Under 16 Years (Employed during vacation only) – 1. Number of Hours Each Day - 10. Number of Hours Each Week - 60. Average Number Weeks Operated During 1902 - 18. Number Employed between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. – 4. Number Persons Regularly Employed Sunday – 4. Established in Year – Illegible.
Page 299. 1904. Total Number Wage Earners - 25. Adult Males (Excluding Office Force) - 25. Number of Hours Each Day – 10. Number of Hours Each Week – 60. Average Number Weeks Operated Last Year - 13. Number Employed between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. – 2. Number Persons Regularly Employed on Sunday – 2. Changes in Name of Firm or New Inspections – None. (Ninth Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor of the State of Minnesota, 1903-1904, Volume 2, Great Western Printing Company, 1904)
The brick yards at Brickton will only make about half a run this season. Woodcock & Oakes and Farnham Brick Co. and Kuhn Bros., shut down last week while the Cream Brick Co., and the Princeton Brick Co. will run for two weeks or so yet. The output will be about two and a half million brick for each company for the season. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, September 1, 1904, Volume XXVIII, Number 38, Page 8)
R. P. Morton, who has managed the Princeton Mercantile Co’s store for the past five years, has rented the Cream Brick Co’s yard for three years and will take charge of the business April 1. We all wish Mr. Morton success in his new enterprise. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, March 29, 1906, Volume XXX, Number 16, Page 8)
Brickton, Minn. – The Cream Brick Co. has leased its plant for three years to R. P. Morton, of Princeton, Minn. (Brick, Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, May 1906, Volume XXIV, Number 5, Page 268)
Brick Yard to Open. The Cream Brick Co., will begin the operation of its Brickton yard in a week or two, and the other yard will commence operations as soon as some new machinery is installed. The first named yard expects to turn out a full season’s run, and as 4,000,000 bricks were baked there last year it is expected that even more will be manufactured the coming summer. It is safe to say that the two yards will turn out 7,000,000 bricks this season. (The Princeton Union, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Thursday, April 20, 1916, Volume XL, Number 18, Page 1)