Brickyard Bend
The Hancock County Museum can boast a collection of a wide variety of locally manufactured bricks. Once nicknamed “Brickyard Bend” by riverboat captains navigating the Ohio River, New Cumberland was considered the "brick capital of the United States". During the peak of production between 1840 thru 1910, over 20 plants annually produced millions of bricks. But World War I and brief, but significant subsequent recession from January 1920 thru July 1921, severely impacted industrial production. With the wholesale value and sale of bricks tumbling between 37 to 46%, production was dramatically reduced by as much as 32%. Although short-lived, brick production never recovered to the same levels due to increased shipping costs and new alternative building materials.
