Floral Products Made at the Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Circa 1897-1901

The Merrimac Pottery Company will be an ongoing series over the next couple of weeks, where I have been studying a large collection of sherds recovered by the curator of the Olde Newbury Historical Society, Jay Williamson and past president, Chris Snow at the original site of the pottery. The sherds were discovered in 1998 when a local contractor was building condos on top of the pottery's site; there was no professional archaeology scheduled for the site so Jay Williamson and Chris Snow both acted quickly to preserve the site's history and recovered as many sherds, wasters and kiln furniture as possible.

They may not receive the local credit that they deserve today for this act, but I compare what they did to when Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) stepped in to salvage as many objects as she could in the 1930s at the site of the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company in Newburyport, circa 1764-1799 when construction crews were demolishing the site for a highway underpass. All of the objects that were salvaged by Watkins are owned by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. today.

The Merrimack Pottery Company was established by an English trained potter, Thomas Nickerson; whereas, I view this company today as a hybrid of a utilitarian pottery company that morphed its output with the demand of the Art Pottery Movement.

The Merrimac Pottery Company is a rather unique situation that flourished in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; however, a massive fire broke out in 1908 destroying the business forever. In that short lifespan, Nickerson left such a legacy and an impression that even the biggest critics of form, glaze and proportion in the field of American pottery must respect Nickerson for what he accomplished. The Merrimac Pottery Company focused on garden products from 1897-1901, before the company altered its production to focus on finer glazed formal wares in 1902. There was still a focus on garden products after 1902, but not like it was.

Nonetheless, before Nickerson's business was known as the Merrimac Pottery Company it was known as the Merrimac Ceramic Company. This earlier business produced a variety of garden wares, many of which are forms that may not be recognized by collectors today. I was also surprised to learn that this business produced both earthenware and red earthenware products; although, the objects that I see today that are credited to this business are really only made from red earthenware.

Note: These are some of the artifacts that I recently studied from the Merrimac Pottery Company at the Olde Newbury Historical Society in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Objects Recovered at Site of Merrimac Pottery Company

 Marked & Unmarked Sherds Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

 Marked & Unmarked Sherds Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

   Kiln Furniture Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., 

Circa 1897-1908

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Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

  Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

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Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

 Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

 Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

 Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the Merrimac Pottery Co., Newburyport, MA

Circa 1897-1908

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Olde Newbury Historical Society - Newburyport, MA

Note: Below is a photo from Irene Sargent's twentieth century published article, 'Some Potters and Their Products,' where a number of the floral wares made at the Merrimac Ceramic/Pottery Company were illustrated in black and white. Products ranged from terracotta forms to Old World Grecian styles copied from actual pots at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts at the turn of the twentieth century.

My nephew, Jason is pictured with a twentieth century painted Italian-style red earthenware flower pot that we recently found in southern Maine. A similar object is shown in Sargent's article; although, we are not sure if the pot that we discovered in related.

A Comparison of Flower Pots

My Newphew, Jason with a Painted 20th Century Red Earthenware Flower Pot

Recently Found in Maine
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Merrimac Ceramic Company Pot, Newburyport, MA
Somewhat Similar to the Example Pictured with My Nephew
Ca. 1897-1901
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Photo Courtesy: Some Potters and Their Products, Irene Sargent

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...