If Superman was the “man of steel,” then Michael Butler might have been the “man of brick.” His Elgin-Butler Brick Company helped build Austin and was once the largest brick manufacturer in Texas.
Michael Butler Immigrates to America
Michael Butler (1842–1909) was born on February 17 near Limerick City, Ireland, and immigrated to America in 1866 at the age of 24. When he arrived in New York City, he began to work as a bricklayer’s assistant. He continued to learn the masonry trade in Wisconsin, St. Louis, and Little Rock before moving to Texas in 1869.
The Elgin-Butler Brick Company
In 1873, Michael founded the business that would ultimately become the Elgin-Butler Brick Company. He built it on a 1,000-acre site near Austin, Texas.
To determine whether a particular batch of clay would make a good brick, he would taste it. Suitable batches would be put in molds and fired in three kilns that could hold about 100,000 bricks each.
Michael’s company quickly gained a reputation for innovative designs and became the largest brick manufacturer in Texas with an output of more than 11 million bricks a year by 1875.
The Elgin-Butler Brick Company passed through five generations of Michael’s descendants before it was sold in 2005. Today, it continues to thrive as a maker of masonry products.
Michael Butler’s Marriage and Children
Michael married Mary Jane Kelly (1854-1935) in 1878, and they had three children:
- John Francis Butler (1879–1964)
- Margaret Butler Walne (1881-1961)
- Thomas James Butler (1885-1973)
Butler, Texas is Named After Michael Butler
Butler, Texas in Bastrop County is named after Michael Butler, the man of brick. It is an unincorporated community located five miles southeast of Elgin, 20 miles north of Bastrop, and 31 miles east of Austin.
Many brick structures built in Texas from 1873 to 1912, including the University of Texas Old Main Building and the 1888 State Capitol, were made by Michael Butler’s Elgin-Butler Brick Company.
Primary Sources:
- Kleiner, D. J. (n.d.). TSHA | Elgin-Butler Brick Company. www.tshaonline.org.
- Michael “Mike” Butler (1842-1909) – Find a Grave… (1909, February 25).
