Robert and John McCormick

Robert’s younger brother, John (1859-1941), opened his first brick and tile plant in 1872 at Kingscourt. The hamlet of Kingscourt has virtually disappeared but it was once a flourishing railroad junction. Railcars loaded with McCormick bricks were shipped from the site. 

At the time, the manufacturing processes for tile and brick were similar. Both items were in demand in the farms and communities of northeast Lambton. Many of the large rural and urban brick dwellings were built of McCormick brick. Thousands of McCormick tiles were used to drain local fields for farming.

The McCormick farms supplied the clay needed to make the tile and bricks. The bricks were cut, placed in ovens, and baked over wood fires. Homes were constructed nearby to house the employees. The bricks sold for $3 to $4 per thousand. They were inexpensive but stood up well against the elements. The last brick kiln in Lambton County was still visible at the Brickyard Line site in 1948. By 1954, the structure had collapsed beneath the weight of snow.

Robert and John McCormick were farmers as well as businessmen. Robert bred Shorthorn, Durham, and Hereford cattle, and Shetland ponies on his farm. John built a beautiful yellow brick home at Kingscourt in 1900 and farmed 400 acres, raising cattle and breeding horses. Both men had large families. Robert took an active interest in municipal politics. He served locally and represented the Lambton East riding in the provincial legislature from 1908-1914.