The Medora Shale Brick Company was founded in 1904, and produced brick until the beginning of 1992. Originally 12 brick kilns were built on the site, but that number now stands at 10. Its been estimated that at one time, the plant produced 54,000 bricks a day, and employed as many as 50 people. Bricks from that plant were used in building projects throughout Indiana, as well as Chicago, Detroit, and numerous midwestern cities.
The plant, located in Medora (Jackson County), was named to the top 10 most endangered landmarks in Indiana, in 2004, by the Historic Landmarks Foundation.