Wood shims in mortar joints

[exploreparadise2]

I found the ends of wood shims stuck in the mortar joints of the brick walls of this 1905 building. They occur in only a few locations, both low and high on the walls and appear to be as old as the bricks. The walls are full brick and not brick veneer. Any ideas on what they are there for?

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[Robert Jones]

Could they have been used early on as a support?

[Jim Katen]

I found the ends of wood shims stuck in the mortar joints of the brick walls of this 1905 building. They occur in only a few locations, both low and high on the walls and appear to be as old as the bricks. The walls are full brick and not brick veneer. Any ideas on what they are there for?

Most likely the remains of lateral support boards for the staging.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Bill Kibbel]

Nailing blocks.

Something was originally attached to the building and fastened with nails to the blocks. If you had a picture of the whole wall, marking the locations of the blocks, we might be able to figure out what was there from the pattern.