How paying workers in bricks created one of Utah’s most beautiful towns

Panguitch’s Three-Decade Brick Payment System Creates Architectural Legacy

When Panguitch settlers came back in 1871 after the Black Hawk War, they found clay and lime just waiting to be used.

Town leaders soon built brick kilns next to their mills and stores.

The rich, iron-filled clay turned into rose-red bricks, darker than those in other Utah towns. For three decades, workers got paid in bricks, not cash.

This smart swap let folks build their own homes while the town grew. Over time, 386 brick buildings went up, mixing English and Dutch styles.

Today, Panguitch holds one of the West’s best collections of brick homes, where many original families still live after a hundred years.

Settlers Found Clay Gold in the Utah Wilderness

In March 1864, fifty-four Mormon families led by Jens Neilson left Parowan to start a new settlement.

While digging in the soil, they found something valuable: huge deposits of iron-rich clay and limestone near the valley.

Their joy turned to worry when a harsh early winter killed their crops. They built a fort on what’s now the school square in Panguitch and cleared land for crops.

The community faced starvation until brave volunteers made the famous “Quilt Walk” across mountains to get flour from Parowan, walking on quilts to cross deep snow.

The Town Sat Empty During Five Years of War

The Black Hawk War forced everyone to leave Panguitch in May 1865. For five years, the settlement stood empty, with houses and fields untouched.

Mormon church leaders ordered everyone to get out as fights with Native Americans grew worse throughout Utah Territory.

In 1870, Brigham Young decided it was safe to return and asked George W. Sevy to gather new settlers. When families came back in March 1871, they found the original buildings still standing and ready to use.

Rebuilding Started With the Basics

The returning settlers moved into the old fort and quickly replanted fields.

They wasted no time setting up what their community needed. They built a gristmill to grind wheat into flour.

Sawmills and shingle mills turned trees into building materials. Workers built a tannery, shoe shop, post office, store, and hotel to serve the growing town.

Most importantly, they set up brick and lime kilns as key town infrastructure, creating the foundation for Panguitch’s unique future.

Bricks Became Better Than Money

The local clay turned a beautiful rose color when fired in the wood-burning kilns. This clay made bricks with a darker red color than other Utah towns.

Around 1875, town leaders started paying workers in bricks instead of cash. This trading system let families stack up building materials for their own homes while working.

Horse-drawn wagons hauled clay from nearby deposits and moved finished bricks around town, creating a local economy based on actual building materials rather than paper money.

The First Brick Homes Showed Off Family Status

Between 1877 and 1885, the first wave of two-story brick houses popped up across Panguitch. These big buildings showed which families had earned enough bricks to build nice homes.

Workers used their brick payments to build houses with designs borrowed from English and Dutch styles, showing their different backgrounds.

Brick making turned into a community event with multiple families working together at the kilns. The earliest brick homes stood on lots throughout the town’s orderly grid of streets.

Local Factory Boosted Brick Production

The brick-making kept going strong for three decades as the town’s main business.

During the 1880s and 1890s, a second wave of one-story red brick homes appeared as more families saved enough bricks.

The payment-in-bricks system kept going, creating a steady supply of building materials that helped the town grow.

Families traded bricks among themselves, creating a unique community-based building economy in Panguitch.

Victorian Styles Transformed Main Street

The 1890s brought a building boom with fancy Victorian touches. Big buildings went up, including the Garfield County Courthouse (1908) and Social Hall (1906).

Homeowners wanted Victorian Eclectic style houses with uneven facades and arched window hoods. Cross-wing and central block house designs became popular, with projecting bays and decorative parts.

In 1899, Panguitch officially became a city with about 500 people. The brick economy had created a proper town with impressive buildings rivaling much larger places.

Softer Bricks Created a New Look

Around 1900, brick makers created a new style with softer edges and deeper red color.

The Panguitch Tithing Office, built in 1907, showed off this new brick style to everyone in town. Two-part business buildings lined Main Street, creating a proper shopping area.

Building styles grew beyond simple pioneer designs to include Prairie School elements and early modern features. These softer bricks gave buildings a special look that made Panguitch different from other Utah towns.

Unique House Designs Appeared as Brick Quality Improved

Between 1915 and 1940, Panguitch brick makers made their most special product: deep red bricks with soft edges.

This time saw the growth of a unique Panguitch house style with square footprints, pyramidal roofs and projecting bays.

Families built homes mixing Victorian, Bungalow, and Period Revival elements, creating a mix of styles.

Arts & Crafts bungalows stood next to traditional house types, all made possible by the continuing brick-payment system that kept quality materials flowing to local builders.

The Brick Economy Finally Wound Down

The final batch of locally-made brick buildings went up through 1940. After nearly 70 years, the brick economy slowly gave way to tourism as the main local business.

Many families kept living in the original brick homes their grandparents had built with earned bricks. National Register counts later found 386 historic buildings from this unique brick era.

The payment-in-bricks system had created generations of skilled builders and left a lasting mark throughout the town.

Seven Decades of Brick Trading Created a National Treasure

Panguitch earned National Historic District status in 2006, with 379 buildings contributing to its historic character.

The brick payment system had created one of the finest collections of native brick architecture in the American West. Many original homes remain occupied by the same families who built them over a century ago.

The trade-based economy model produced an architectural heritage spanning seven decades, from the 1870s to 1940.

This unique approach to community building turned Panguitch into a living museum of pioneer ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Visiting Panguitch, Utah

You can explore Panguitch’s unique brick economy history through two free self-guided tours available at panguitch.com.

The first tour covers 30 historic downtown buildings starting from Quilt Walk Park, while the second highlights 24 Victorian-style homes.

Check out the Ira Hatch House and Garfield County Courthouse during your visit. Pick up tour information at the Bryce Canyon Country visitor center at 55 S. Main St.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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