Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

Lambton County Museums Logo

Contact Us
  • Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Museum @ Home
    • Virtual Education
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Oil Museum of Canada
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Get Involved
    • News
    • About Us
  • Lambton County Archives
    • Visit the Archives
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Blog
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Donate

Green gradient background with text "2017" to the right. Logo on the left that includes a red barn, field, text "Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame", circled with wheat.

Robert and John McCormick

More
Home...Virtual ExhibitsLambton Agricultural Hall of Fame2017 Robert and John McCormick
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

3 people posing for a picture, woman in the middle holds a plaque. Image Caption:Joe McCormick and Jane Cotter accept the Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame induction award on behalf of Robert and John McCormick.Four McCormick brothers operated the largest brick and tile manufacturing business west of London between 1869 and 1904. In its prime, the extensive works spread across multiple sites in Warwick Township, including one on Kingscourt Road and one on Brickyard Line. Collectively called McCormick Bros. Brick and Tile Yard, one site also included a sawmill.

Joseph McCormick and Sarah Ann Taylor emigrated from Armagh, Ireland with several of their children in the 1850s. They settled in Warwick Township to raise their family. Four of their sons took up farming and entered the brick and tile business. Their names were Robert, John, Richard, and Joseph.

Robert McCormick (1848-1919) started out as a farm labourer. He spent two years learning the brick-making trade from Isaac Eves. Robert went to work for John D. Eccles and by 1869 he was renting out the Eccles brickyard and making bricks for himself. Eight years later, he purchased the Eccles farm and brickyard on Lot 14, Concession 2, north of the Egremont Road.

Portrait style photo of Robert McCormick. Image Caption: Robert McCormick   A sketch of Robert McCormick's Farm. The house is on the left, the barns on the right with a pond up at the front.  Image Caption: The farm of Robert McCormick on Lot 14, Concession 2 N.E.R., Warwick Township. The inserted image in the bottom right is the tile yard.

John McCormick and his wife Susan Jane Luckham sitting in lawn chairs. Image Caption: John McCormick and his wife, Susan Jane Luckham.

Sepia toned photo of a large photo with a veranda. Image Caption: The elegant yellow brick home of John McCormick built near Kingscourt in 1900.

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.

A brick dome. Image Caption: The last remaining brick kiln in Lambton County stood on the Robert McCormick farm until about 1950. Image from L.M. Stapleford’s 1948 article, “Old brick oven recalls brick trade.”Image Caption: This red, wooden wheelbarrow was used at the extensive McCormick brick and tile yards in Warwick Township.

Community Contributions

Robert McCormick

  • Warwick Township Councillor, 1882-1891
  • Warwick Township Deputy Reeve, 1891
  • Warden of the County of Lambton, 1892-1894
  • MPP for Lambton East, 1908-1914
  • Member, Zion Congregational Church
  • Member, Masonic Lodge
  • President, East Lambton Farmer’s Institute
  • Stockholder, Farmers’ Loan and Savings Company, Forest

 

John McCormick

  • Warwick Township Councillor (3 years)
  • Warwick Township Reeve (2 years)
  • Member, Canadian Order of Foresters, Watford
  • Member, East Lambton Farmers’ Institute and Agricultural Society
  • Sunday School teacher at Watford Congregational Church
Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
      Toggle Section Visit the Museum Menu
      • Accessibility
      • Group Tours
      • Gift Shop
      • Lambton Shores Farmers' Market
      • Woodland Heritage Trail
    • Events & Programs
      Toggle Section Events & Programs Menu
      • Events
      • Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
      • Return of the Swans
        Toggle Section Return of the Swans Menu
        • The Tundra Swan
        • Tundra Swan Migration
        • Thedford Bog
        • Tundra Swan Migration Calendar
        • Tundra Swan Trivia
        • Origami Swans
    • Exhibits
      Toggle Section Exhibits Menu
      • Current Exhibits
        Toggle Section Current Exhibits Menu
        • Historic Buildings
      • Upcoming Exhibits
      • Virtual Exhibits
        Toggle Section Virtual Exhibits Menu
        • The Farmerettes
          Toggle Section The Farmerettes Menu
          • Recruitment
            Toggle Section Recruitment Menu
            • The Uniform
          • Camp Living
          • Leisure Time
          • Food for the Cause
            Toggle Section Food for the Cause Menu
            • The Doodlebug
          • Farmerette Stories
            Toggle Section Farmerette Stories Menu
            • Shirleyan English
            • Mary (Barnaby) Fountain
            • Mary Gardner
            • Janet (Howes) Hassan and Dorothy (Livermore) Flannagan
            • Farmer Jack A. MacDonald
            • Dorothy (Seymour) Maxwell
            • Moira Philp
            • Gwen (James) Phillips
            • Mary (Pulak) Pirie
            • Marilyn Purcell
            • Roberta (Henderson) Schofield
            • Joan (Hill) Tovey
            • Helen (Abernathy) Finn
            • Joy Yule
            • Alexia Clark
            • Janet (Hawkins) Firman
            • Ursula Rosser
        • Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame
          Toggle Section Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame Menu
          • 2022 Carolynne Griffith
          • 2022 Charlie Srokosz
          • 2022 Mac Parker
          • 2021 Dona Stewardson
          • 2021 Kevin Marriott
          • 2021 Sid Fraleigh
          • 2020 Bert Vandendool
          • 2019 Leonard McNeil
          • 2017 Brandon Bros. Stables
          • 2017 Robert and John McCormick
          • 2016 Art Griffith
          • 2016 W.P. MacDonald
          • 2015 Raymond Moorhouse
          • 2015 Tony Noorloos
          • 2014 Jerry Tiffen Ferguson
          • 2014 Charles Lawes
          • 2013 Ralph Ferguson
          • 2013 Lorne Henderson
          • 2012 J. Edgar Evans
          • 2012 Russell Hazzard
          • 2011 John Goodison
            Toggle Section 2011 John Goodison Menu
            • Goodison Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • 2010 Lorne Gordon
        • Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton
          Toggle Section Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton Menu
          • Women Changing Roles
            Toggle Section Women Changing Roles Menu
            • The Evolution of Home Crafts
            • Changing Fashion, Changing Times
            • The Birth of Women's Rights
            • Women in the Military
          • Women Working Together
            Toggle Section Women Working Together Menu
            • The Temperance Movement
            • Bringing Art to Sarnia
            • Women's Institutes
            • Agricultural Societies and Fall Fairs
          • Local, Provincial & National Achievers
            Toggle Section Local, Provincial & National Achievers Menu
            • Teresa Altiman
            • Patricia Davidson
            • Charlotte Eleanor Englehart
            • Maud Hanna
            • Sadie Knowles
            • Pauline McGibbon
            • Maud Menten and Mary Jane Hutton
            • Eleanor Nielsen
          • Women at Work
            Toggle Section Women at Work Menu
            • Businesswomen Through Time
            • Agricultural Bees
            • Unusual Jobs
            • A Working Hymn
            • Telephone Operators
          • Women Who Provide
            Toggle Section Women Who Provide Menu
            • Guarding Family Knowledge
            • Early Nurses in Training
            • Family Ties in First Nations Communities
          • Women Sharing Wisdom
            Toggle Section Women Sharing Wisdom Menu
            • Teaching in the Community, Women's Institute
            • Teaching in the Home, 4-H
            • Teaching in the Classroom
          • Guiding Beacons
            Toggle Section Guiding Beacons Menu
            • City of Sarnia
            • Enniskillen Township
            • Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston
            • Municipality of Lambton Shores
            • St. Clair Township
            • Town of Petrolia
            • Town of Plympton-Wyoming
            • Township of Dawn-Euphemia
            • Village of Oil Springs
            • Village of Point Edward
            • Warwick Township
          • Thank You
        • Lambton At War
          Toggle Section Lambton At War Menu
          • The Rebellion of 1837-1838
          • The Fenian Raids and the Boer War
            Toggle Section The Fenian Raids and the Boer War Menu
            • Fenian Raid Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • Boer War Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • The First World War
            Toggle Section The First World War Menu
            • WWI Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • Remembering War
            • The Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie
            • Charles Oliver Fairbank
            • The 149th Battalion
              Toggle Section The 149th Battalion Menu
              • First Nations in the 149th
          • The Second World War
            Toggle Section The Second World War Menu
            • WWII Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • The Gibson Girl
            • A Legacy of Poetry and the Written Word: Malcom Moncreif MacDonald
          • Modern Conflict
            Toggle Section Modern Conflict Menu
            • Brent Poland Artifacts
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
      • Past Exhibits
        Toggle Section Past Exhibits Menu
        • Capturing the Moment: Photography in Lambton County
        • Memories of Rural Life
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
        • North Lambton Quilter's Guild Show
        • Paint Ontario
    • Collections and Research
      Toggle Section Collections and Research Menu
      • Researcher Access
    • Learn
      Toggle Section Learn Menu
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • A County Named for Radical Jack
        • The Lambton County Crest
        • Ask A Curator Day
        • Pressed Glass
        • The Blue Water Bridge
        • The Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and City Builder
        • Summer Nights at the Lakeview Casino
        • Sweet Maple Sugar
        • A Tale of Two Tunnels: The St. Clair Tunnel
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
      • At Home Activities
        Toggle Section At Home Activities Menu
        • Interactive Schooldays
        • Make a Photo Cube
        • Make a Sampler
        • Crazy Quilt Collage
        • Fall Apple Craft
      • Education Programs
        Toggle Section Education Programs Menu
        • Interactive Lessons
        • Live Sessions
        • In-Person Programs
        • Travelling Trunk
    • Museum @ Home
      Toggle Section Museum @ Home Menu
      • Activities
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
        • The Kettles of Kettle and Stony Point
        • Samuel Smith: Early Surveyor of Lambton County
        • Crunch! A Bite About Our Apple Industry
        • Ask a Curator Day September 15, 2021
        • Collection Highlight: Outerwear and Accessories
        • Looking into Lambton’s Closet
        • The Monarchy in Lambton: A Royal Fascination
      • Virtual Tours
    • Virtual Education
      Toggle Section Virtual Education Menu
      • Interactive Lessons
      • Live Sessions
      • Virtual Tours
      • Museum @ Home
    • News
    • Get Involved
      Toggle Section Get Involved Menu
      • Canatara Cabin Fundraising
        Toggle Section Canatara Cabin Fundraising Menu
        • Canatara Cabin Supporters
      • Membership
      • Volunteering
      • Artifact Donation
      • Support the Museum
    • About Us
      Toggle Section About Us Menu
      • Acknowledgement of Ancestral Lands
      • Our Story
      • Facility Rentals
      • Contact Us
      • Services

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

County of Lambton logo

About Us

Lambton County Museums is the home of Lambton Heritage Museum, the Oil Museum of Canada, and the Lambton County Archives.

Website

  • Lambton Heritage Museum
  • Oil Museum of Canada
  • Lambton County Archives

Resources

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Website Feedback

Discoveries that Matter Logo

Copyright © Lambton County Museum 2020

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Accessibility
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.