Sounds like some roofing and decorative siding tiles.  We had L. 19th c.
American made examples in Baltimore which were of similar to slightly larger
sizes with interlocking sides.  They got you a reduced fire insurance rate
and are generally noted on some Sanborns.

Stephen P. Austin


-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2000 2:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: French Tiles


Listmates--

I have found a number of low fired red earthenware tiles at Fort Johnson,
near Charleston SC. My first impression was that they were stove tiles, but
I
wonder if anyone else has seen them and can tell me for sure. They have been
found in fill dating to around 1900, and thus seem to date at least into the
19th century. At that time Fort Johnson served as quarantine station, so it
occurs to me that they might have been used in the sanitation processes. Any
ideas would be helpful.

They are molded, sometimes with a fairly elaborate design on the exterior.
Several are marked with words. This is a central feature of the decoration.
The interiors have tabs and grooves for fitting the tiles together. No
reconstructible examples were found, but piecing them together, they appear
to vary in size, with most being rectangular and roughly 18 x 35cm. .

Most common is  "BREVETES S.G.D.G/ St Henry MARSEILLE" followed by "ANTOINE
SACOM..." and   "GRANDE ECAIL.../USINE LA PLATA." Examples marked "GU....",
"...E ECAILLE PU...",  "SEON St H...", "...OITURE..." and  "MARTIN FRERES"
were also found.

The designs also include insects--Bees and Butterflys in their design.
"Antoine" is separated from "Sacom" by a ship's anchor. Other examples have
heart shaped marks. A few had stamped numbers--2, 13, and 46 were seen.

Again, any help would be appreciated.

Thnaks in advance... Carl Steen