Herring Hollow Block Machine!!

This post is just a copy and paste from our Facebook page. If you would like to see the images mentioned feel free to check them out on Facebook. Eventually the machine will be added to our collection list with photos as well.

“Thanks to a generous donation by Whitney Schmidt, Preservation Siler City is excited to announce that we are now in possession of a small albeit very heavy piece of Siler City's history. The item you see in the pictures is a Herring Hollow Block Machine. This machine was invented by J.C. Herring who was a builder based out of Charlotte. In 1906, in addition to expanding his operation to Greensboro, he submitted the patents for his hollow block machine and began to manufacture them for sale to other builders but also for use in his own business. It was also around this time that Cadmus Bray came into possession of the hollow block machine pictured here. This machine was used in connection to Bray's brick business as the blocks produced from this machine were used in his home built in 1906, the Hotel Hadley which opened in 1908, and in a home formerly located at 310 W Second St. Although there were several brands of hollow block machines produced during the early part of the 20th century, the Herring machine is the only one that uses the molded pattern that we see in the Bray house and the Hotel Hadley. Considering it spent several decades in the log cabin that was formerly located on the Bray House property this machine is in remarkable condition. It is missing a couple of parts but given time they could be replicated and if needed this machine could be used to make hollow blocks once again!”