Masonry is defined in the Dictionary of Architecture and Construction by Cyril M. Harris as "the art of shaping, arranging, and uniting stone, brick, building blocks, and other materials to form walls and other parts of a building." Virtually all buildings incorporate some type of masonry construction, whether it be a stone or concrete foundation, brick veneer walls, or terra cotta ornamentation. Preservation of these buildings requires a basic understanding of masonry types and their characteristics, technology and construction methodology, and proper maintenance and conservation treatments.
Brick: Brick is the second of the early masonry
types to be used in Tennessee. Unlike the extraction of stone, brick-making
requires a technological process to reach its final form. The primary
ingredient in brick is clay, which is most often found in deposits in lowlands
or river valleys. Clay is soft and may be supplemented with a binder;
early brick often had straw as a binder. The clay is packed into molds
and set aside to dry and stiffen; in this form, the brick is called 'green.'After
an appropriate time period, the green bricks are removed from the molds
and are stacked in a kiln to be fired. The intensity of the heat and duration
of firing determine the strength and durability of the brick. The process
is similar to baking. For more
Details 
Stone: One of the earliest construction materials
used is stone. It was obtained in two ways: from natural outcroppings
or scattered deposits, and by the process of quarrying. Many early buildings
were constructed of stone readily available near the building site. Along
river valleys, limestone was prevalent. This stone was removed in natural
layers, or strata, by the simple technology of picks and crowbars. Early
stonemasons were familiar with the properties of limestone and other
sedimentary stone, and exercised care to 'lay up,' or set, the stone
in accordance with its 'bedding plane,' i.e. its natural geological layering.
If the bedding plane ran horizontally. For more Details 
Terra Cotta/Clay Tile/Concrete: Another ancient masonry type closely related to brick is terra cotta. Its principal ingredient is also clay. The primary difference between brick and terra cotta is that terra cotta is not a load-bearing structural material. It is used primarily for facing, or veneer, and is often ornamental, having been made in molds and then fired in the same fashion as ceramics. Terra cotta also shrinks during the process of firing. This shrinkage must be compensated for by enlargement of the original mold, allowing for the correct final proportions. Terra cotta is often glazed and pigmented. Like brick, if the glazing or outer skin is removed or damaged, the material will rapidly deteriorate. Architects and builders made use of unglazed terra cotta in their late Victorian residential and commercial building designs, such as the Rhodes-Jennings and Easy Way buildings on North Main Street. Glazed white terra cotta wall cladding was used in the Lincoln American Tower, Pritchard Plumbing Supply and the Advanced Rubber Stamp Company buildings, all early 20th-century commercial structures.
For more Details
This article from Historic Ink is published with permission
from Historic Nashville, Inc. Local examples and information included
in the article were provided by Judith Johnson.