Taylor was a coal and clay mining town located about 4 miles east of Hobart on a branch line of the Pacific Coast Railroad. Today the lost town is perhaps best remembered as the first two letters of the Tahoma school district named for Taylor, Hobart, and Maple Valley. At its peak Taylor had about 1,000 residents. By 1907, the factory could manufacture 100,000 bricks per day and in 1917 produced 58 million pieces. Taylor’s production declined over the years as asphalt and concrete replaced bricks and clay products in building and construction. In 1927, Gladding-McBean & Company purchased the plant and town from its original owner, the Renton-Denny Clay & Coal Company.
Over the next 15 years, business continued its slow decline and the homes and tile plant deteriorated. The town’s only store closed, forcing residents to travel to Maple Valley or Renton for food and supplies. By the early 1940s only 20 or so homes remained for the 50 to 60 residents still living there. The City of Seattle provided ample warning of their plans to acquire the townsite to protect its water supply and in 1944 the city council voted to condemn the property. Negotiations between Seattle and Gladding McBean continued for several years until the city received the judicial order to purchase the land. Workers who owned houses (none owned the land) were given time to move or dismantle their homes. Employees were relocated to the company’s two other brick and tile operations. The sale closed on July 7, 1947 bringing to an end over 50 years of mining and manufacturing. The city subsequently restricted access to Taylor, though Seattle Public Utilities has on occasion hosted tours of the site. This photo showing stacks of clay sewer pipe with the factory in the background comes courtesy of the Maple Valley Historical Society.
