Initial field study across the site of Monroe Hill at the University of Virginia revealed many visible seams in the brick masonry walls and a great variation of brick bonding patterns. The following brick analysis arose out of the perceived need to catalog as many instances of brick construction as possible, and to determine whether brick dimensions alone could contribute to the construction of a historical narrative.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this method of analysis has the potential to be useful in the assembly of a historical narrative, if as many variables are controlled as possible. Though it would be ideal to form conclusions based on the data alone, it appears that the potential for this analysis is greater in the interpretation of estimated dates based on documentary evidence. This analysis has brought up significant questions about the appropriateness of mathematical investigation on historical buildings, in particular, ones involving accuracy and the “truth” of numbers. Would additional brick samples contribute to the potential of this analysis, or would more numbers create a false sense of accuracy? Would a brick study that includes every historical building on the University Grounds help to solve the variable of recycled bricks or will there ever be any way of knowing without documentary evidence?
In the same way that imperial units to the 1/4” and an analysis using Mode felt the most effective in this investigation, it may have been more correct after all to measure to a high degree of accuracy in the field, and then round the Average numbers to a dimension with a realistic tolerance for a pre-industrial brick. With a sample size greater than twenty bricks, in combination with more specific measurements, a different conclusion may have been reached. It is difficult to determine the best approach to this investigation without attempting all of methods.
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For more on this subject, please see the final report here.