17th Century Redware and Charlestown

Yesterday I reported  my interest towards the dozens of boxes of bricks excavated as part of the Charlestown, Massachusetts archaeology project - and today, I'm going to tell you that I potentially have discovered an important part of American history. These boxes of bricks have been virtually untouched and not researched since they were unearthed nearly thirty-years ago.

The bricks are sorted by the archaeology districts they came from in Charlestown. The remains of what appear to be two potters kilns are well-represented. There may be three or four and each are eighteenth century. However, the Big Dig reports do not indicate anything earlier and I strongly believe the contrary.

John Smith, an English immigrant, migrated to Charlestown sometime before or near 1644. He and his wife, Sarah had eight children. John was a shipwright working on the shores of Charlestown at the eastern edge of what is described (Big Dig Reports) as a wet dock. The first dry dock was built in America in Charlestown around 1677. Sadly, John died in 1673, but the family's work as shipwrights continued for two more generations. By the turn of the eighteenth-century, the Smith family business had failed and parts of the property began to be sold off to a distillery.

Interestingly, there are many examples of what I would describe as a domestic form of seventeenth-century redware from a possible local manufacturer. The shards are in the hundreds. Since seeing these artifacts months ago, I have always felt there is an important story to be told with them. Who produced them? There were so few potters at this time and of these seventeenth-century potters, very little is known today. My thought was if I could prove the maker then I would not only be telling a great story, but one that is historically significant at the same time.

Up until yesterday, my association of this redware was only theory, but I felt I had a strong argument.

Massachusetts first potter, Phillip Drinker's property bordered the Smith site. He is really one of America's first potters. It is described in the Big Dig Archaeology reports that his kiln may have been located near the Town Dock, which is not far from the Smith site. There is no indication that any type of kiln remains were ever found. This entire area was a part of the archaeology undertaken on behalf of the Big Dig project.

This theory all potentially became a reality yesterday! While researching the bricks and potential brickmakers of Charlestown, I opened up the limestone boxes from the Smith site out of curiosity. For some reason all the bricks in this collection have been grouped and described as limestone. The results of the Smith site are more than merely exciting. They have the potential to write a new chapter through artifacts of Charlestown's and American history. The results even potentially predate the artifacts of Harvard Professor Lura Woodside Watkins' book, "Early New England Potters and Their Wares" by possibly a half century.

According to Watkins, Phillip Drinker (experienced potter) came to Charlestown in 1635 from England. His son, Edward worked alongside him as an apprentice. Phillip Drinker died in 1647 and his son continued in the potter's industry until 1700. There are also reports of Kettle family members working and apprenticing at this pottery before moving to Salem, Massachusetts and working there from 1687 to 1710. The Kettle family members of Charlestown predate Watkins artifacts from the Kettle site in Salem. It is assumed these are the earliest artifacts from Watkins collection that is now part of the Smithsonian's collection.

The following artifacts have never been discussed, researched and as far as I know - cited as part of a seventeenth-century kiln. Each example was found more than 200 centimeters below surface level at the Smith site. I feel the first brick with kiln furniture lodged into it should be on display on the first floor of the Museum of Fine Arts Americana Wing in Boston. The first floor houses some of the more important artifacts and decorative arts from seventeenth-century New England. This brick has the potential to have been used and may represent the work of a Pilgrim Period potter. That's absolutely amazing!

Both Boston City Archaeologist Joe Bagley and myself are very pleased with these potential results. These are only a small sample of the many bricks from the Smith site.

Likely Kiln Brick

Notice the Redware Trivet 

The trivet was used for stacking redware before firing

17th Century

 Likely Kiln Brick

Notice the Redware Kiln Ball

This was also used in the kiln for firing pottery

17th Century

Likely Kiln Brick

Large Amount of Bricks Grouped Together

There is a small amount of glaze
Very Interesting to see it labeled as Kiln Furniture

Likely Kiln Brick

Large Amount of Bricks Grouped Together

There is a small amount of glaze

The reason for my release of this information is  I want to demonstrate the importance of this collection. This is only an example of  the stories I plan to tell with my book. The story of Charlestown and its potters is amazing and as my research progresses the more exciting it becomes. The idea behind actual redware shards from the Drinker site is completely feasible - and honestly, I think we have them. The Charlestown collection potentially houses artifacts from nearly every seventeenth and eighteenth-century potter working in the area. This is wonderful and I am extremely excited to eventually begin writing this book and an article for Ceramics in America later this year.

Please feel free to leave comments or email me with any insight on this topic. I feel this subject to be that important for American history.

If you're in the area - I will be presenting my research at "Dish Camp" in New York this June. Dish Camp is an annual gathering of important archaeologists, researchers, historians, dealers, authors, curators, collectors and enthusiasts where the latest in early American and English ceramics is discussed in a three day event. The event is held in Eastfield Village, New York in an area of an original Shaker settlement.

Plenty more to come....