Erected to house the Mount Savage offices of the Union Mining Company, this building is among the finest examples of the distinctive glazed brick for which the town was known. It is also one of the few tangible remnants of the once-thriving industries responsible for the establishment of Mount Savage. The building features a mix of multishaded brick with belt course and water table and such distinctive features as a large Syrian-arched entrance-way and low pyramidal roof with eyebrow dormer. A rich deposit of mineral fire clay was first discovered here in 1839. The Mount Savage Fire Brick Works started production in 1841, making bricks for blast smelting and other such purposes. Incorporated as the Union Mining Company in 1864, it was engaged in brickmaking as well as coal mining; it operated as the Mount Savage Refractories Company from 1944. Although limited refractory brick production continues, the building was donated to the Mount Savage Historical Society in 2008.
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UNION MINING COMPANY BUILDING
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