BRICKS: Cindy Parker, director of Friends’ Memorial Library in Kane, found more information on the Kushequa bricks on pages 716-718 of “Sawmills Among the Derricks” by Thomas T. Taber III.

The book belongs to her husband — The Era’s own Joe Parker.

Cindy noted, “I am told by my friend Scott Morgan, of the Kane Historic Preservation Society, that the backward ‘S meant the brick was a second, and that they ended up selling for a higher price when bricks became scarce.”

“Sawmills Among the Derricks” describes the second wave of industrialism in the former lumber town of Kushequa.

The book states, “Clay on the surrounding hillsides caused three new companies to locate in the village: Kushequa Clay Brick Company making red brick was owned by Elisha Kane; the Pearl Clay Products Company making a light colored brick was started by Davis, Foster and others from Bradford and later acquired by Mr. Kane; and the Kushequa Keramic Tile Company was started by Tom Moulton and several persons from Mt. Union, Pennsylvania.”

At this time — a smidge over 100 years ago — Elisha Kane had purchased and brought up-to-date railroads in that area, only to have the initial need vanish.

The new factories were doomed for failure, too.

The book continued, “When (the tile and brick companies) were no longer profitable to their original owners, Mr. Kane bought them. In the words of his son, E. Kent Kane: ‘My father ended up with three brick and tile businesses he loved that usually weren’t making any money and a railroad system that always lost money.’”

The freight business had reached a peak in 1904-05, and by 1910 had less than half its previous business, according to Thomas Taber. It was also by 1910 that the sawmill had closed but at least one clay plant had opened.

As automobiles became more popular after World War I, passenger traffic dropped off. Passenger trains in Smethport were halted in 1927, and freight service stopped a short time later.