The Post Brick Company was in operation in Glen Head – on the site of what is now Francis M. Gaynor Park – from 1855 until the late 1930s. At its peak, the brickyard produced over a million clay bricks each month.
It was through the efforts of Francis Gaynor that the company’s 22-acre property was donated to American Legion Post 336 in 1945 and developed into a recreation area and community center.
Francis M. Gaynor was born to a family of Pennsylvania brick makers in 1894. He served in the Air Corps during World War I at Hazelhurst (now Roosevelt) Field. After his discharge, he worked with Jotham Post, a brick manufacturer in Glen Head. After Post’s death, Mr. Gaynor took over the management of the company until a shortage of clay led to its closing.
Mr. Gaynor later served as chairman of the memorial park and building committee and continued to operate the Nassau Brick Company of Old Bethpage until 1981. He remained a Glen Head resident until his death in 1987.
Brickyard photo courtesy of John Mulder