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Historical Articles
The following articles are offered as interesting reading, but don't miss the article following, Parts I and II by David O. Whitten, formerly of Auburn University.
- Wooden Street Paving by David H. Jurney
- Wood Block Paving by Bob Kindred
- A lesson in Woodblocking (reference www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.u/history/sydneystreets. (We guess block flooring made it all the way to Australia.)
- David O. Whitten, EBHS Archivist "A century of Parquet Pavements: Wood as a Paving Material in the United States and Abroad, 1840-1940, Part 1 Nineteenth Century Origins, and Part 2, Twentieth Century Decline: Geography, Technology, History.
We talked with Mr. Whitten, who resides in Auburn, Alabama, and we asked him if we could add his article to our website. He was pleased to know who we are, and that wooden blocks are still being used!
Mr. Whitten writes in Part II, page 162 at the bottom... "WOOD BLOCK PAVING WAS NOT A FAILURE, IT DISAPPEARED BECAUSE NEEDS CHANGED. MORE-OVER, WOOD BLOCKS WERE NOT INTENDED AS AN ALL PURPOSE PAVING MATERIAL, BUT A SPECIAL SUBSTANCE FOR SELECTED STREETS. CITY ENGINEERS DID NOT ENVISION A CITY PAVED WITH WOOD. THEY DID CONSIDER WOOD BLOCKS APPEALING FOR STREETS NEAR HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS LIKE COURT HOUSES WHERE STREET NOISE WAS ESPECIALLY BOTHERSOME AND IN CONGESTED STREETS WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC".
We hope you enjoy the articles.