Nineteenth-Century Brick Architecture in the Roanoke Valley and Beyond: Discovering the True Legacy of the Deyerle Builders written by Michael J. Pulice

This book revisits the legend of Benjamin Deyerle as the leading builder in the Roanoke Valley during the 19th Century. This book is based on a study that sought to determine precisely which buildings were built by the Deyerles, and by whom among them. The study employed traditional methods of historical research, but in tandem with a novel approach that focuses on bricks - how they were made, their physical properties, and how they were laid - in the construction of some of southwestern Virginia's finest works of architecture. Nineteenth century brick making, building construction, and architectural design in the Roanoke Valley and beyond are effectively explained and illustrated with 180 images and maps. Author Michael J. Pulice worked as a field archaeologist for nearly a decade before earning his Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech. He has held the position of architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources Western Regional Office since 2001.