|
The Russian Mennonite Clay Brick House and House-barn Tradition
A surviving Mennonite house-barn near Hillsboro Kansas, taken in 1911.
Johann Reimer Russian clay brick house in the settlement village of
Hoffnungsthal southwest of present day Hillsboro Kansas. The house was
built without an attached barn. This photo was taken about 1900. The
Reimers were neighbors of the Peter Paul Loewen family, who's similar
house is now located at the Mennonite Settlement Museum in Hillsboro.
More about the Peter Paul Loewen House.
Hoffnungsthal southwest of present day Hillsboro Kansas. The house was
built without an attached barn. This photo was taken about 1900. The
Reimers were neighbors of the Peter Paul Loewen family, who's similar
house is now located at the Mennonite Settlement Museum in Hillsboro.
More about the Peter Paul Loewen House.
As the Mennonites fled
persecution in the
Netherlands and later in
Prussia, they brought a
northern European tradition
of house-barn architecture
with them, first to Russia,
and then to North and South
America.
In New South Russia,
eastern Ukraine today,
Mennonites learned to make
sun-dried clay bricks for use
in building temporary or
utilitarian structures.
Sun-dried clay bricks were
used in Kansas to build the
Mennonite's early
house-barn structures.
Sometimes both the house
and barn were built of clay
bricks and sometimes only
the house.
persecution in the
Netherlands and later in
Prussia, they brought a
northern European tradition
of house-barn architecture
with them, first to Russia,
and then to North and South
America.
In New South Russia,
eastern Ukraine today,
Mennonites learned to make
sun-dried clay bricks for use
in building temporary or
utilitarian structures.
Sun-dried clay bricks were
used in Kansas to build the
Mennonite's early
house-barn structures.
Sometimes both the house
and barn were built of clay
bricks and sometimes only
the house.
Sun Dried Clay Bricks - The Story of the Peter Paul Loewen House
In 1876, the Peter Paul Loewen family built a typical Russian Mennonite style house in the settlement village
of Hoffnungsthal, south of what is now Hillsboro Kansas. Apparently there was no accessible clay in the
village of Hoffnungsthal. The settlers had to haul the clay from a pit a half mile away. First the men had
scrapped off the topsoil down to a layer of suitable clay. Then, as was traditional, the clay at the bottom of
this depression was spaded into lose pieces and then mixed with water, straw and manure. The mixture was
trodden by horses until it was of the right consistency; “. . . until their hooves made just the right popping
sound in the thickening mud.” Then the sticky substance was bought back to the site were the house was to
be built, and poured into brick molds. The molds were rectangular open boxes divided into two equal size
compartments, in such a way that the compartments made two 4" by 6" by 12" bricks.
A standard Mennonite house took about 3,600 to 4000 of these clay bricks. The walls were usually three
bricks thick. Peter Paul Loewen, however, stopped making bricks after he had made about 2000 bricks.
These he used for the inner walls. For the outer walls he used bricks for the customary inner two rows.
Then to finish the outside, against these two rows, he set up forms into which he poured wet clay, thus
finishing the outer one-third part of the walls using a Russian method called "rammed earth." Young Peter A.
(and perhaps some cousins - there were six Wiebe cousins at the time, three of them boys) trampled the
mud down between the brick area of the walls and the form. Using this rammed earth process sped up the
construction time at a time when doing so was critical to the family. The family was still living in the covered
wagon in which they had traveled to Hoffnungsthal.
In the late 1780s when Mennonites arrived on the steppes of Russia in the new provinces of South Russia,
(later to become part of Ukraine) they found that buildings were built of clay bricks as they had been for
millennia. Mennonites soon learned the technique and started to built their houses out of clay bricks as well.
They called these clay bricks, “Erdziegeln,” or “earth bricks” they also sometimes referred to these houses
as “Erdmauern,” or built of “earth walls.”
Other German-Russians called the clay bricks “Kohlsteine.” The German-Russian Volga immigrants (and
some Mennonites) called clay bricks “Batsa” apparently either a Ukrainian term or a derivative of a Ukrainian
term. Indeed, the traditional three-room homes of Volga German-Russians were often said to be made of
“Batsa” bricks both in Russia and in North America.
In areas of south Russia and Ukraine clay brick structures are still made. Russians in Ukraine, Samara and
elsewhere in former South Russia area call the bricks Саман -- “saman.” The method of manufacture is
identical to that used by the Mennonites.
Clay brick structures are of ancient origin. Clay brick construction is still used in the Black Sea area. Clay
bricks were used to build vast cities by the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians. Where there were few trees
for lumber, unfired clay bricks were often the building material of choice. Clay bricks are still used extensively
throughout Egypt and the rest of North Africa; Central Asia, especially in places like Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India and on into China; the Iberian Peninsula, and the lands of the Spanish colonies in Mexico
and the American Southwest.
In 1876, the Peter Paul Loewen family built a typical Russian Mennonite style house in the settlement village
of Hoffnungsthal, south of what is now Hillsboro Kansas. Apparently there was no accessible clay in the
village of Hoffnungsthal. The settlers had to haul the clay from a pit a half mile away. First the men had
scrapped off the topsoil down to a layer of suitable clay. Then, as was traditional, the clay at the bottom of
this depression was spaded into lose pieces and then mixed with water, straw and manure. The mixture was
trodden by horses until it was of the right consistency; “. . . until their hooves made just the right popping
sound in the thickening mud.” Then the sticky substance was bought back to the site were the house was to
be built, and poured into brick molds. The molds were rectangular open boxes divided into two equal size
compartments, in such a way that the compartments made two 4" by 6" by 12" bricks.
A standard Mennonite house took about 3,600 to 4000 of these clay bricks. The walls were usually three
bricks thick. Peter Paul Loewen, however, stopped making bricks after he had made about 2000 bricks.
These he used for the inner walls. For the outer walls he used bricks for the customary inner two rows.
Then to finish the outside, against these two rows, he set up forms into which he poured wet clay, thus
finishing the outer one-third part of the walls using a Russian method called "rammed earth." Young Peter A.
(and perhaps some cousins - there were six Wiebe cousins at the time, three of them boys) trampled the
mud down between the brick area of the walls and the form. Using this rammed earth process sped up the
construction time at a time when doing so was critical to the family. The family was still living in the covered
wagon in which they had traveled to Hoffnungsthal.
In the late 1780s when Mennonites arrived on the steppes of Russia in the new provinces of South Russia,
(later to become part of Ukraine) they found that buildings were built of clay bricks as they had been for
millennia. Mennonites soon learned the technique and started to built their houses out of clay bricks as well.
They called these clay bricks, “Erdziegeln,” or “earth bricks” they also sometimes referred to these houses
as “Erdmauern,” or built of “earth walls.”
Other German-Russians called the clay bricks “Kohlsteine.” The German-Russian Volga immigrants (and
some Mennonites) called clay bricks “Batsa” apparently either a Ukrainian term or a derivative of a Ukrainian
term. Indeed, the traditional three-room homes of Volga German-Russians were often said to be made of
“Batsa” bricks both in Russia and in North America.
In areas of south Russia and Ukraine clay brick structures are still made. Russians in Ukraine, Samara and
elsewhere in former South Russia area call the bricks Саман -- “saman.” The method of manufacture is
identical to that used by the Mennonites.
Clay brick structures are of ancient origin. Clay brick construction is still used in the Black Sea area. Clay
bricks were used to build vast cities by the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians. Where there were few trees
for lumber, unfired clay bricks were often the building material of choice. Clay bricks are still used extensively
throughout Egypt and the rest of North Africa; Central Asia, especially in places like Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India and on into China; the Iberian Peninsula, and the lands of the Spanish colonies in Mexico
and the American Southwest.
The Peter Paul Loewen House as it appears today.
The Loewen House, a Typical Russian Mennonite House Interior
The rooms in a Russian Mennonite House have
Plautdietsch or Low German names.
Plautdietsch or Low German names.
Groot Stow
parlor or front room
parlor or front room
Akj Stow
corner bedroom,
usually the girl's
room
corner bedroom,
usually the girl's
room
Kjleen Stow
middle bedroom
middle bedroom
Ätstow
dining room
dining room
Kjäakj
Kitchen
Kitchen
Somma Stow
unheated bedroom,
often the boy's room
in winter
unheated bedroom,
often the boy's room
in winter
Fäa Stow
Foyer
Foyer
A.
To the barn
Barn
A. Oven
B. Hot water caldron
C. Stove
B. Hot water caldron
C. Stove
B.
A.
C.
|
Ätskoma
pantry
pantry
Brick molds, like the one
seen above, were used to
make the bricks two at a
time. The average
Mennonite house required
several thousand bricks.
The walls were laid three
bricks thick, making the
houses very wall insulated.
seen above, were used to
make the bricks two at a
time. The average
Mennonite house required
several thousand bricks.
The walls were laid three
bricks thick, making the
houses very wall insulated.