Lincoln Cushing, U.C. Berkeley Librarian,
has written the most important regional article
on the subject of sidewalk stamps and has created a related Web site.
Ken Duffy is the first Bay Area sidewalk historian. His August 29, 1984 The Berkeley Voice article is a great contribution. The meaning of Martinez sidewalks will be greatly enhanced by reading the above literature.
What we call "concrete" has been used in some form since ancient times.
"Artificial stone" pavement was patented in 1871, although we call it "concrete" now.
See Schillinger Artificial Stone 1870 Patent photo below taken on South Van Ness in San Francisco.
The word "concrete" was not associated with building materials until about 1830 when
Joseph Aspdin of England invented the binder in what we now call concrete--that binder called "cement".
Although, the word "cement" was used until the turn of the
century for what we now know as concrete.
Sidewalks Concreted
Contractor stamp historian and labor librarian Lincoln Cushing writes "Most were placed from the early 1900s through the late 1970s, but few contractors now use them because of fear of litigation and a changing attitude toward craftwork. Despite being cast in a durable medium, these marks are disappearing from the urban landscape at a remarkable rate as curb cuts, buried utilities repair, and general gentrification take their toll.
Much can be learned from these artifacts, including construction dates and patterns of urban development. But perhaps most importantly, these are symbolic of the pride that tradesmen and women displayed in building our country."
Unless indicated, all photographs and contents copyright 2006 by Kristin Henderson
