Barrett, Thomas T.

Thomas T. Barrett, born in Rockport, Knox County, Maine, on January 22, 1853, was a pioneer brick contractor who became a decided factor in the upbuilding of Fresno County. As the son of Amos and Julia Barrett, he descended from a historic family of England that settled in Massachusetts in 1680 and included his great-great-grandfather, Colonel James Barrett, of Revolutionary fame. After attending public schools and graduating from Kent’s Hill College in Maine, he learned the trade of a brickmason and worked in Boston and Minneapolis. He moved to Fresno in 1883, where his unquestioned judgment in brick construction allowed him to continuously follow his trade and shape the growing region.

During his career, Barrett constructed major landmarks including the Farmers Bank Building, the Bradley Block, the City Water Works tower, and multiple local winery cellars. His reputation as a master builder extended beyond the county, leading him to Sonoma County in 1906 to construct the I. de Turk Winery after its destruction by the earthquake. He also took a prominent role in labor organizations, serving as a charter member and president of the Bricklayers Union of Fresno and president of the Brick Contractors Association. Locally, he invested in real estate, raised a family with his first wife Lena Packard and later his second wife Maria L. Dix, and maintained his fraternal ties as a Mason.