HISTORY OF BRINK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY by Ken Brink for U.S. History, May 18, 1987. Introduction: This is a paper on the History of the Brink Construction Company from the time the Brink family migrated from Germany and homesteaded in Huegely, Illinois until the forming of what is known as The Brink and Jones Construction Company today. Outline Introduction I. Coming from Germany II. Farming and Carpentry III.Charles Fredrick Brink IV. R. L. Brink A. Brink Constructon B. Brink and Osiek V. R. L. Brink and Son A. Pre-fab Houses B. Crane Truck VI. Brink and Jones VII.Interesting Facts Conclusion History of Brink Construction Company A German family by the name of Brink set out from the town of Eikzen, Germany on a sailing vessel and arrived two months later in New Orleans. From New Orleans, they traveled overland to Washington County in Illinois. (Actually came up Mississippi by boat, river froze over, and started overland from Grand Tower.) They settled there in the year 1840. (Should be 1845) They homesteaded a large track of farm land in Huegely, Illinois, which is about six miles north east of Nashville. This area was almost entirely populated by other immigrants from Germany. The whole economy of this area was centered round agriculture. There were no construction companies at this time. When the crops were harvested, the Brinks, known for being able to create things with their hands, started providing the community with carpenter service. During this time labor was very cheap and easy to come by. However, the lack of materials made it cheaper to move houses from one place to another than to build new houses or remodel them. In the early 1900's Charles Fredrick Brink, a farmer, house mover, and carpenter, started Brink Construction Company. He worked mostly around Washington and Clinton Counties. At this time it was customary for the builders to live on the site of the house until finished because travel back then was not like it is today. Because of the cost of materials C. F. Brink would move more houses than he would build. Using a stump puller and a horse, this task took anywhere from two days to two weeks depending on several things such as the distance of moving, the size and condition of the house, and the weather conditions. Moving houses took a long time and was very hard on the animals so in 1912 Charles bought a twelve horse powered Kick Doorman Steam Engine which was used in moving houses. During the harvest season it was used in the threshing and separating of grain. The steam engine was considered a very important and needed investment. In 1934 Charles Fredrick Brink died of a heart attack. (Actually April 4, 1933 and most likely a stroke.) After the death of Charles Fredrick Brink, his only son, Raymond Leroy Brink, took over the construction company while William Brink, Charles' brother, took over the farming operation. Raymond kept on building and moving houses until 1938 when a partnership was formed with Henry Osiek. This became known as Brink and Oziek Construction. During this time the house moving business was going bad because of the rising costs. In 1948 the moving of houses went out completely because of the lack of modern equipment and the rising cost of insurance. In 1950 Mr. Oziek retired so the company returned to R. L. Brink Construction. In 1962 a new partnership was formed with Raymond Brink and his only son, Charles. During this time R. L. Brink and Son, as the company was called, had a franchise with Kingsberry Homes, a division of Boise Cascade. In the 60's it was more economical to buy pre-fabricated homes rather than stick built. R. L. Brink had used pre-fabricated housing back in the 1930's when he bought kits from Sears and Roebucks. The costs was about $3,000 for a 1500 ft. sq. house. During this period more than 60 houses were built in and around Washington County. In 1970, R. L. Brink and Son purchased an International truck with a truck mounted crane at the cost of $20,000. This was costly but a much needed investment just as C. F.'s purchase of the steam engine was in the very early days. In 1972, Raymond Brink retired. Roland Perry Jones, a long time friend of Charles, bought out half of the construction business forming what today is known as Brink and Jones Construction. The Brink Construction Company is now a fourth generation company. An interesting fact is that in many cases all four generations have worked on many construction jobs that were first built by C. F. Brink. An example of this was the North Prairie Methodist Church. It was built by Ernest Brink (Should be Charles L. C. Brink), Charles F.'s father; an addition was put on by Charles F.; it was repaired by R. L. Brink and Son and then recently torn down because it was not in use any more, by Brink and Jones Construction. (Using their crane they removed the bell which is now in the monument they placed on the property. Then others in the community tore the rest of the building down.) This is typical of many construction jobs throughout Washington County. As of today, the Brink family construction company has put up more than 230 house in and around Washington county. They have put in four sub-divisions in Nashville. These are the Hill Street Area, Brink and Jones First Division, Brink and Jones Second Division, both located around the Nursing home, and Alton Street. With all the power tools and advanced equipment used today, about one-fourth of the hours are put into a building as compared with the time it took to build in the early 1900's. This saves time and money for the builder and the buyer. In conclusion the Brink family has great pride in being able to say that they have had a hand in the development of this community. Those interviewed for this paper said that carpentery work was not easy work but the reward is very acceptable. Bibliography Ludwig, Minnie. Brink. 1945 Brink, Raymond L. Brink, Charles R.