Charlestown Collection at the Boston Archaeology Department
South Danvers at one point during the nineteenth century may have had upwards of forty potters itself, but the industry in Charlestown was a century prior - which means it was earlier and that much more important for both Boston and American history. It's only an idea, but the success and size of the South Danvers' industry may have not happened if it were not for Charlestown.
A question that I will ask and I can not answer at this time is whether the Charlestown industry over the years migrated north. I think it is a fair question that can eventually be analyzed. Was the South Danvers area a more appropriate choice for the redware industry of Boston? The Osborn Family is synonymous with redware in South Danvers. Did the Osborn's create a monopoly with their North Shore business and is that why so many of New England's best 19th century potters trained, worked and then expanded from there? Was South Danvers a destination for potters of this period? These in my opinion are all good questions when trying to understand what was happening during this period in terms of the Eastern Massachusetts pottery industry and culture.
Between the years of 1700 to 1788, there were at least twenty-two men and possibly a woman working in the potter's business. There is a listed potter by the name of Grace Parker. I am not positive that "Grace" was a woman, but it is more often than not used as a woman's name. Women potters in New England are really unheard of until the turn of the twentieth century with the Arts and Crafts Movement. This could be rather interesting in determining what "Grace's" roll was in the Charlestown industry. It is extremely rare to have a woman working as a potter during this time. I only know of one other female eighteenth century potter and that was Daniel Bayley's second wife in Newburyport who was reportedly a potter within the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company. There is at least one piece known attributed to her. There will hopefully be more information to report about Grace Parker and who this person was.
Of those more than twenty listed potters, the last names Kettell, Parker, Symmes, Edes, Manning, Ingalls, Duche, Harris, Larkin, Powers, Penney, Standley and Runey are reportedly to have engaged with the business in Charlestown. What type of clay used; being stoneware, redware or "other" has not yet been declared by myself or the Boston Archaeology Department. I will tell you this: there were both redware and stoneware potters during this period and the vast majority of which are believed to have produced redware.
According to an earlier report (other than mine) put together by Joan Gallagher and Duncan Ritchie on behalf of the Boston Archaeology Department, both acknowledge that during mid-eighteenth century Charlestown there may have been upwards of eight to nine shops all of which were operating within the city boundaries. While we have not yet determined with our own research, it has previously been reported hat only one of these shops produced and sold any type of ceramic other than redware.
It has fascinated me reading through this report and hearing of the struggles that potters personally experienced during the period of the American Revolution and even more so - during Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775.
This report states, "...The kilns, workshops, and homes of potters were burned; many never reestablished themselves after the war."
I ask this question; Was the American Revolution solely responsible for the death of the Charlestown redware industry? Yes, in my opinion I believe it had a strong influence in it. I'll explain in time.
Was the American Revolution and the Battle at Bunker Hill partly responsible for South Danvers' success? I feel that is a fair question that like the other questions, it can also be examined.
This report goes on to further point out that "only" two potters were believed to have rebuilt their business after the war. I am about to introduce three Charlestown names that I have not previously used in any of my blog postings - two of which are Jonathan Penny and Battery Powers - who both are thought to have started over in Charlestown. From the forty or so given potters that are believed to have worked in Charlestown prior to beginning the nineteenth century - only "one," John Runey, is reportedly to have worked past the turn of the century. According to Watkins - Penney, Powers and Runey are all believed to be Charlestown potters.
18th Century Redware Porringer
Found in Charlestown Privy
No Attribution at this Time
Charlestown during the eighteenth century, is believed to have produced pudding pans, bowls, porringers, pitchers, platters, plates, mugs a variety of pots, milk pans and chamber pots. What happened? We have no proof at this time to share or attribute who produced what. Where has it all gone? I, like others - would like to know. Is all that is really left from this period sitting in Boston's Archaeology storage facility? I would like to think that is not the case.
Only miles up the road north of Charlestown, the redware industry thrived in South Danvers during the nineteenth century - while in Charlestown the industry by this time had seen its death. The industry had once flourished in the eighteenth century to only crumble and disappear when the century turned. Was the American Revolution responsible for Charlestown's redware industry vanishing? While I have no proof of it, yet, I'll answer the quetion again, I believe it was.
18th Century Redware Plate
Found in Charlestown Privy
No Attribution at this Time
There will be more Charlestown research to come. I am also hoping to publish books on the Charlestown redware industry, the Merrimacport industry and "New-Boston" Pottery at some point. You can hopefully expect that from me, granted my research provides me with enough material.
Outside of Charlestown, there is a large amount of redware that was excavated at Faneuil Hall, both of which is English combware or dotware and possibly other redware that is American-made. Faneuil Hall at one time was a high-traffic port in Boston. More on this in time...
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