BRICKMAKERS
The city of Ferris joined the brick-making industry shortly before the turn of the 19th century courtesy of the Ferris Brick Company and other manufacturers who utilized the local mineral clay to produce bricks for construction. Ferris commemorates their brick heritage each year with the Ferris Brick Festival, a celebration of all things brick and featuring an art contest, a dog show, and a competition baby crawl. Ferris, established in 1874 in service to the Houston and Texas Central Railway, hosted six brick plants by 1914 and four of them were still in operation by mid-twentieth century.