FAIRHOPE — One might say University of South Alabama junior Alan Samry is out from behind the news desk and getting his hands dirty these days. The former Fairhope Courier reporter is now manning the research desk at the city’s new library on a part-time basis, while spending a great deal of time immersed in his studies.

Samry is focusing on history, English, communication and art history through the USA Adult Interdisciplinary Studies program. His latest endeavor, a directed studies research project, involves digging up the architectural past.

Clay Products and the tile the company once produced from material dug from the banks of Fish River are the subjects of the project, which is directed by Dr. Philippe Oszuscik, a USA associate professor of art history. Samry hopes to learn more about the company, the family that operated it and the structures built using the tile fired in its kilns.

“It’s a pretty broad topic,” Samry acknowledged last week during an interview. “The starting point was my fascination with the tile. I was seeing it everywhere. When I thought about the topic, I started hunting it more seriously.”

Clay City tile is shaped more like cinderblock than brick, and is a terra cotta or reddish-brown color, according to Samry. He plans to compile an inventory of all structures in Clay City and Fairhope that were built using the material, as well as a few still standing in Daphne, Belforest, Loxley and Silverhill.

Samry is quick to point out that Clay City tile buildings range from farm structures to many types of folk houses. He said, “I’m interested in how a building looks, but I’m also interested in how they’re made.”

He also noted that many Clay City tile residential and commercial buildings were finished in stucco, so he may have a difficult job ahead of him.

“There’s never really been any study about it,” Samry said. “It’s so closely related to Fairhope and Baldwin County though because of the clay source out there by the river.”

Clay Products Co. was formed in 1917 with Frank Brown as its president, according to an incorporation document Samry found while working for the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History. He said, “I want to pay attention to not only the structures themselves, but also the history of the families — the Brown and Jennings families.”

Samry recently spoke with Ralph Brown Jennings, a descendent of Brown. They will soon walk the old Clay City tile manufacturing site and talk about the process of mining the clay and firing the product.

The old company records were lost in a fire, however. Samry said, “The fire wiped out what would have been a great look into the past about the company. It makes my job more of a challenge.”

That’s why Samry is asking anyone who owns or occupies a clay tile structure to contact him. He’d also like to hear from anyone with knowledge about such buildings.

“I need the community’s help,” he said. “I need folks who know the history, or some of the history of these buildings and will share that with me because I think it’s important to document it.”

The old Magnet Theatre on the corner of Fairhope Avenue and Church Street (built in 1924) is an example of a building of Clay City tile construction. The structure now houses Papa’s Pizza and other businesses.

Other such buildings include the Lebanon Chapel AME Church on Young Street (built in 1923), the old Fairhope City Hall on North Section Street (built in 1927) and Gulf ArtSpace on Young Street (the old Masonic Hall built in the 1940s).

“Architectural historians will talk about material culture because they tell you about who people were or who people are in a community,” Samry said. “They used what was in nature for their buildings. When it’s done right, and you learn more about the buildings, you learn more about the people. I think that’s important.”

Samry began work on his research project well before the current USA academic semester began. He must finish it in December. He said he will interview local historians and photograph each building as he adds them to his list.

“If someone sees me out taking photographs, they should come out and share their history of the building,” he said. “I’ll be out on the weekends taking photographs. If they want to be sure their building is in the inventory, they can give me a ring.”

Samry added, “My goal is to take photographs of Clay City tile I can identify. If it is stucco with Clay City tile underneath, I have no way of knowing. That’s why I need people’s help.”

To help Alan Samry learn more about Clay city tile structures, as well as add more to the list, call him at (251) 233-0248.