The first place I actually remember living was a town northwest of Indianapolis (I was born in Indy).... Veedersburg. When I was born my parents were living in Brownsburg. In between we lived in Newport. The year I was born my dad was working for a small newspaper as the sports writer covering some of the local dirt tracks and they sent him to the Indy 500 to report on the race. He said the press sat on the roof of the grandstands after climbing a tall ladder to get there. Back to Veedersburg and the brickyard... I only learned this a few years ago ( we moved from there in 1961) but there were a couple of brick factories in town. One of them got the contract to make the bricks that paved the track!! I do remember seeing the factory as we headed to Indy to visit our grandparents but didn't have a clue. I also never realized that I was born to so many ties to racing! Brownsburg (home to racing teams for a long time) Newport (hill climb events) Indy All important places to racing. https://historicindiana.weebly.com/veedersburg-brickyard.html
The Speedway is an amazing place. So huge. And so many that paid a huge price for a shot at glory. Don't forget IRP too.
I have a 20 x 20 ft. or so brick apron leading up to my shop put in place rather hastily as a friend doing construction had to free up his trailer, really like the ambience it lends but only wish the shop being of metal construction were equally so. Wouldn't it be cool to have the bonafied brickyard as part of a landscape ? wondering if the bricks were formed with manufacturing name , I know some side walk & street bricks in our area were fired with the the "Burlington" logo.
Did you know Dale Burton? He was a painter from Brownsburg, I believe. At one time he painted and lettered every car in the field at Indy. He was a good family friend. His brother Ron Burton painted many of the racing paintings in the Indy Museum.
This is a brick from IMS. Culver Block. This prized brick sits on my trophy shelf. Given to me by a friend working construction at the Speedway. I don't think he was supposed to be taking bricks home!
I love Newport. And the hillclimb. I grew up in New Goshen and am moving back there in a couple of weeks.
I always dug going to the Nationals with my kid. Then Good Guys, then Pinks All Out. If I'm not mistaken there was a Hardies in Brownsburg that we'd escape to for a break from the action. Also enjoyed the Speedway, too, though. Qualifying, the race, the museum (at a $1.00 per ticket at the time, how could we not go in each time?), and the history. I'll always be a Chicago boy but I dig Indianapolis.
The markings on that brick prove it was one of the originals. I found this info on the internet... In 1909, brickyards helped to support the 1757 residents. The Wabash Clay Company (Culver Blocks & The Veedersburg Paver) in Veedersburg had the contract to supply 3.2 million bricks for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Due to the large number of bricks and short time to deliver four other brick yards were subcontracted to fill about 10% of the contract.
Wow ! What I started with asking about a name on the bricks, the power of the H.A.M.B. is undeniable, now we at the least know anyone that happens across Culver block cast bricks have at the least a remote tie to the historic speedway.
Many years ago I had to go to Indianapolis for work. I was blown away that the speedway was right in the middle of a neighborhood!! Fantastic!! My kind of place.
It always strikes me as odd that back in '84 & '85 they flattened the old garages in Gasoline Alley without much, or any, ceremony to make way for the construction of the badly needed new Gasoline Alley. But I've always wondered happened to the remnants of the old garages. You kind of get the impression that they just razed the buildings and hauled it all off as scrap. Which always seems more than slightly sad. But from what little I've read the Speedway Museum has a display of one of the old garage stalls that they had to replicate with new materials instead of one of the original garage stalls that they tore down. You'd think that somewhere at the Speedway they could at least find room to store a couple stacks of the old white and green barn doors from the front of the garage stalls. Or that maybe they'd come up occasionally for sale at auction. It's not hard to imagine Foyt, Unser or Andretti having some of these doors on display in their offices or man caves. But I've never seen any mention of it. If nothing else, if they had cut the doors into 6 or 8 inch squares, branded them and offered them with a certificate of authenticity it could have been a good money-maker for the Speedway. Or for some charitable organization, if they so desired. So does anybody here from the racing community or from the Indianapolis area have any insight as to whether the materials from the demolition of the old Gasoline Alley were in fact disposed of like any other pile of old lumber? Or are there rumors of bits and pieces of the old Gasoline Alley garages ending up in private hands?
The Jalopy Journal
