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Paver technology has changed over time as different civilizations learn from their predecessors and made advancements in the way paving has been done.

We talked previously about paver stone work that dated back over 5,000 years and that technology has been found in nearly every great civilization and area in the world since those early influences, from what was Babylon and Turkey, to all over areas of Europe and Asia.

In early American history one of the first proponents of paving was none other then Benjamin Franklin. In the mid 1700’s Franklin helped create local projects to pave the streets of PA. Hard to believe that this occurred before the USA become it’s own sovereign country!

Documents still exist of hired hands working for local governments as pavers going back as far as the 1800’s in the newly formed states. Ironically in 1849 a German stone mason named Henry Grosscup helped build one of the very first brick factories in the USA. In 1871 Mr. Grosscup ended up becoming a firefighter in Camden New Jersey. We’re proud to have links to one of the oldest pavers in America right in our backyard!

After World War 2 Germany and much of Europe was in ruins. At that time a German engineer named Fritz Von Langsdorff developed and patented a new type of brick that had structural qualities and interlocking patterns, thus the modern paver was born. Incredibly, these bricks and similar pavers rebuilt much of Europe and because of the creative quality and technology, the paver was better then ever before, the world of paving would never be the same. Hundreds of millions of these paver stones were used in the rebuilding of Europe and thus created a new twist on an ancient industry.

Today these exact patented bricks and huge varieties of other new paver bricks and stones give custom designers an incredible array of different looks, patterns, colors and designs. At Paver Pros in New Jersey, we can create the highest quality crafted pools, driveways, patios, walkways and more! We have the greatest variations then ever before in history, let us design something that will not only enhance the beauty of your property but will also add greater use of the land while increasing the value and appeal of your property! Call Paver Pros now!

The Roman stone pavers helped make the Romans the biggest powerhouse nation in the world at the time. These amazing stone paved roads interconnected what would come to be known as the first and largest interstate highway system in the world, thus allowing the Romans to speedily bring supplies, communication, trade and commerce across vast networks of cities and towns. Although 50,000 miles of the roads were paved, another 200,000 miles of roads were connected to these main paved highways and byways. Because the Roman Empire was expanding at such a huge rate, they were able to use soldiers and slaves to continue their paving expansion. You can only imagine a lesser, underdeveloped civilization trying to compete or even fight with such a juggernaut!

We here at Paver Pros in New Jersey are experienced in paving pathways, patios and can create a pool area into your own Greek or Roman retreat that would make even the greatest god or goddess in Olympia jealous! Call us for ideas!

In our earlier blogs on Paver History we defined what paver means and found out where the oldest pavers were found, heading all the way back, over 5000 years ago. Greek and Roman pavers created incredible roads that extended tens of thousands of miles. They also used early paver technology in making pools, open patios, foyers, walkways and more. Instead of walking on dirt and mud, man was now walking on beautiful paved paths and instead of having a big mound of dirt in your yard, you had a stone paved patio that you and your family could enjoy!

Paved roads were used to expand militarily and politically but it also served as a means to exchange ideas, communications and brought innovation and forward philosophies and ideas. Pavers had a direct contribution to this expansion. The technology used to build these roads was developed as the roads were made and improved over and over. Romans actually tilted the paver stones to create a slight run off for rain; this use of tilting the road is still used in the engineering of today’s roads!

Paver Pros in New Jersey has been involved in the custom paver business for years. We find that many people do not know really what pavers actually do. For many, they don’t hear of the term until they are looking at buying a new home, fixing up their current home, or adding a patio, driveway, pool or other addition to their homes and properties.

Essentially, “pave” means to cover a road, path, walkway, etc with a surface such as stones, bricks, tiles or concrete. Paver is the noun form of this action, meaning the business of (profession), person doing or subject in regard to creation of this action of paving. The word paver comes from Latin literally meaning “to ram down.” You can imagine seeing this action of men “ramming” stones down to create old flat brick and stone roads.

In modern terms, pavers have come to specifically mean interlocking concrete, composite or brick flooring. This flooring is generally used outdoors in “hardscaping” areas like pools, walkways, patios, driveways, etc. The bricks themselves are cast and their designs interlock creating unique beautiful patterns and looks. The difference between paver stones/bricks and a normal brick, stone or tile is that these use grout in the joints and usually pavers just lock and set together, again interlocking with each other. Paver stones can be made of many different substances but can include clay, brick, cement and other miscellaneous aggregate compounds.

An example of this over all definition would be, “We hired Paver Pros to install paving stones around the pool and patio, and it looks amazing!”

The history of pavers goes fairly far back in history. We touched on the history above with the definition of paver going back to the Latin word “pavīre.” Since this is the first time the word is used, in modern time, we can see the relationship of where paving first appeared in history (although there are obviously earlier ruins that show paving was done by the oldest civilizations on the planet).

Around 130,000 years ago a group of men and women settled on the island of Crete. This group of people would later become known as the Minoans (named in modern times for their king, Minos). They were one of the first known humans on the planet that did not wander but used agriculture and stayed, for the most part, in one spot – and who wouldn’t want to stay in such a beautiful land! This culture lasted thousands and thousands of years and during that time they built incredible palatial palaces, buildings and homes.

Because these structures were more permanent, they needed more permanent roads. To connect these towns and structures, they used segmented stones on top of a bed of sand for roads and pathways, and these are some of the very earliest pavers in known history. This technique is very much the same idea of how paver bricks and stones are laid today!

The Greeks continued to use pavers to create pools, walkways, roads, and to turn unusable, uneven land into usable durable long lasting walkways, paths, social gathering areas, streets, etc. This helped to make Greece’s architecture admired and copied by nearly every civilization in the world, even today! Because of Greece’s proximity to Italy, we find direct influence into the Roman culture from everything from religion and philosophy, to art and architecture.

The Romans took on this program of paving their streets from the Greeks and took it even a step further when they built over 50,000 miles of paved roads that were built so well, many roads like the Appian Way, built in 312 BC by Caesar’s Legions; are still in use today! Those are some serious paver pros that we’ve ever heard! Who would have thought that this idea of using paver stones and brick would come all the way down from history, right into our homes in New Jersey, thousands and thousands of years later.

Paver History Part 3 continued in our blog