MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - A brick and tile factory that was forced to close because of flooding in 2010 will open for guided tours this summer in Medicine Hat's Historic Clay District. <\/p>\n
Until its closing, the large-scale plant had been one of the oldest continually operating industrial sites in Western Canada, with operations dating back to the mid-1880s. <\/p>\n
It was acquired for $4 million in December 2011 from I-XL Industries Ltd. by the Friends of Medalta Society, which plans to preserve it as a heritage site. The non-profit organization operates the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site. <\/p>\n
The cavernous space includes over a century of brick-making equipment, right up to computerized robotic machinery installed just a few years before the complex shut down, said Medalta marketing co-ordinator Quentin Randall. <\/p>\n
Last December the provincial government designated the plant a Provincial Historic Resource. <\/p>\n
\"That entire range of industrialization is evident on site,\" said Randall. \"All the equipment that was in there when it was operating (in 2010) is still there.\" <\/p>\n
Daily group tours, leaving from Medalta, will be launched on the Canada Day long weekend in July and run until September, he said. <\/p>\n
An official opening reception is planned for July 13, with a soft-mud brick demonstration of the plant's early manufacturing methods. <\/p>\n
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Online: http:\/\/medalta.org\/<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Originally posted here: <\/p>\n Historic brick factory opens for guided tours in Medicine Hat clay district<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MEDICINE HAT, Alta. Continue reading