History
The story behind Brickyard Plantation and the land it occupies.
Brickyard’s identity is rooted in the land, the water, archaeological study, and the brickmaking history that still shapes the neighborhood’s name and character today.
The Brickyard name
The name Brickyard is not decorative. Historical and archaeological research connects the tract to Boone Hall Plantation and to a brickmaking operation associated with the Horlbeck family. The 1991 archaeological survey describes the tract as historically part of Boone Hall, with brick production as the major economic activity on the land.
A brickyard was established on the tract in the early nineteenth century and continued as a commercial operation into the early twentieth century. That industrial past is still visible in the neighborhood’s identity, landmarks, and preserved archaeological record.
History you can still see
The reports identify a former brickyard locus with a standing house or commissary, a standing boiler chimney, kiln floors, wells, and remnants of later industrial activity. Nearby archaeological work also documented a residential complex interpreted as a settlement associated with enslaved laborers connected to the brickyard operation.
Today, Brickyard’s lakes, wooded areas, wetlands, markers, and common spaces give the neighborhood a visible connection to earlier land use rather than leaving that history buried only in PDFs.
What the archaeological reports add
The 1991 survey studied a 517-acre tract using archival research, state site-file review, and field survey methods. It recorded six archaeological sites, including the former brickyard complex and a separate residential complex interpreted as an apparent settlement of enslaved laborers, with chimney falls, structural remains, and intact antebellum deposits.
The former brickyard site and the residential complex were recommended as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, with avoidance or data recovery recommended. Later work re-evaluated the residential complex after Hurricane Hugo and documented which portions still retained archaeological integrity.
Christ Church Land Grant
The broader area traces back to early colonial land grants connected to the Charles Towne period and Christ Church Parish.
Horlbeck ownership
The Horlbeck family became closely associated with Boone Hall and the brickmaking activity that shaped this tract’s later identity.
Charleston’s brickyard
Brick production became the defining economic use of the tract. The archaeological survey identifies kiln floors, wells, a standing boiler chimney, and other brickyard remains.
Archaeological survey and re-evaluation
Archaeologists documented six sites on the tract. Two, the brickyard complex and a probable settlement associated with enslaved laborers, were considered significant enough for National Register eligibility recommendations.
Horlbeck Creek boat landing survey
An underwater archaeological survey examined the proposed boat landing area using visual inspection and bottom probing. It found brick rubble and pipe fragments, but no submerged vessel remains or associated artifacts.
A preserved neighborhood setting
The modern community sits within a landscape that still carries the imprint of brickmaking, waterways, archaeological resources, wooded areas, wetlands, and preserved historical markers.
Industrial landscape
The brickyard was not just a single landmark. The reports describe a working industrial landscape with kilns, wells, a boiler chimney, possible workshop areas, and a landing relationship to Horlbeck Creek.
Labor and settlement
The archaeological record includes a residential complex interpreted as a probable settlement associated with enslaved laborers connected to the brickyard. That history deserves clear, respectful presentation rather than being hidden in technical reports.
Waterfront evidence
The Horlbeck Creek survey supports the idea that brick and waterfront movement were connected. Archaeologists found brick rubble in the landing area, though no vessel remains were identified.
Development over time
The legacy site included a development timelapse. Rather than keep that as a separate thin page, it belongs here as part of the broader history story.
When the media file or embed is available, this section can show the neighborhood’s development in motion with a short explanation of what viewers are seeing.
Source documents
The documents below are the source library behind this summary. Some are technical archaeological reports; others preserve historical references that can support future page additions.