The Norcross Pottery of Farmington, Maine and a Jug that Was Exhibited at a Museum on Cape Cod

The study of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Maine-made red earthenware is a subject that I am fascinated with today - the wares from this state were traditionally simple all while serving a functional everyday household need. Stylistically, the forms remained with types that were produced elsewhere in America such as pans, plates, jugs, pitchers and pots; however, Maine potters are known today for sometimes adding unique colorful glazes that were typically created from a mixture of simple colors or vibrant glazes that were thought up and used through the span of their careers. The jug that I will discuss today is a perfect example of this idea.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts antique dealer and collector, Brian Cullity took the following colorfully glazed red earthenware jug on loan in the early 1990's for a museum exhibit he assembled - the exhibit demonstrated the regional similarities and differences of American-made red earthenware in a region-to-region exhibit. He has told me stories of driving from museum-to-museum and from one private collection to the next from the southern states right up through New England borrowing expectional red earthenware from places like Tennessee, New Jersey and Western New York for this exhibit at the Heritage Plantation in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Accompanying the exhibit, was a book that was published in 1991 to coincide with the show; Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware is the only book that I know of today that briefly touches upon most of the major (red earthenware) pottery centers that were in place in America in the 1800's.

Traditionally, the following nineteenth-century Maine-made jug would be attributed to the Norcross Pottery in Farmington, Maine today, which was run by three successive family members, Josiah Norcross, (b. 1759), his son, Matthias Norcross and his son, Matthias Norcross, Jr. Matthias Norcross is thought to have been the most prominent of the group. There was also a brother to Josiah, Samuel Norcross, also involved in the potter's trade. The business is one of the few that operated in Maine in the late-eighteenth-century - and it was also one of the few that made both red earthenware and bricks in the nineteenth-century. However, this is where I have begun to ask questions about the origin of this attribution.

The form is pretty-much unique to this business. Many of the forms attributed to the Norcross Pottery today show an indentation on the body caused by an incised line the potter applied on the potter's wheel. Normally, the application of this line caused an indent on these wares (see below for examples). This is a style that I have not seen accomplished or used anywhere else in America during the period. The overall form also shares some other characteristics that make it unique such as the way the handle was made (sorry no picture of the handle). With all that said, this jug seems unmistakable for the Norcross Pottery in Farmington, but there is a twist.

The initial, JG is inscribed (hand-drawn) on the bottom of this jug. The initial certainly does not stand for the potter, Matthias Norcross or any of the other listed Norcross family members - instead, it is believed the initial may stand for John Goodell, Jr. (1793-1750), who was a potter, who may have worked or trained at the Norcross Pottery; although, he is believed to be a documented potter today, who also worked in Windham, Maine. How in-depth his involvement was at the Norcross Pottery is not really understood today; none-the-less, there are also skeptics who feel this initial does not stand for John Goodell, Jr. and instead, they represent an unidentified person for whom the jug may have been made or something of that nature. I don't personally have any proof to support either argument, but it's a fascinating study.

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Possibly Made by John Goodell, Jr. in Maine
Also Possibly Made at the Norcross Pottery in Farmington, ME

Ca. 1820-1850

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

According to the book, The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine, "Although the names of several early potters have been associated with Windham, Maine, the only pottery thus far to have existed there was one owned by a John Goodell...On November 21, 1816, John Goodell, Sr. of Windham conveyed three acres of land in Windham to his son John Goodell, Jr., who later owned a pottery in Windham...In March of 1829 John Goodell, Jr. identified as a potter, purchased a twenty-three acre farm in Windham from Francis Wilson for $380...John Goodell, Jr. identified as a potter in the 1850 census and born in Massachusetts about 1793, died soon after 1850."

Research suggests that John Goodell, Sr. was possibly a potter early on in the 1800's in Windham - and his son, John Goodell, Jr. likely learned the potter's trade from him. There doesn't appear to be a tie from either Goodell with the Norcross Pottery located sixty-five miles to the north in Farmington. Thus, why this jug is causing confusion today into its true identity and who really made it.

Map Showing Distance Between Windham, ME and Farmington, ME

Approximately 65 miles in Distance

Photo Courtesy: Mapquest

This is the information that Brian Cullity provided about the jug in his book, Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware: "The base of this jug is incised with initial, JG and probably stand for John Goodell, Jr. Jugs with the tooled line indenting the shoulder have previously been attributed to Matthias Norcross of Farmington; but, the initials appear to indicate that this is by Goodell. Little is known of Goodell or his father who may have also been a potter."

 Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware, Brian Cullity, 1991

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Possibly Made by John Goodell in Windham or Farmington, ME

Ca. 1820-1850

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware, Cullity, 1991

View of the Jug

The Indentation on the Body Is Indicative of Products Made at the Norcross Pottery in Maine

The Handle Attachment to the Lip of the Jug is Also Indicative of Norcoss Pottery Jugs

Photo Courtesy: Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware, Cullity, 1991

 Information Provided About the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware, Cullity, 1991

 Incised on the Base, J.G.

Photo Courtesy: Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware, Cullity, 1991

Now with all of the information that has been provided - I am curious to know, if this following group of red earthenware jugs were made at the Norcross Pottery - or, could John Goodell. Jr. have been involved with some of this output, as well - and is his work mistaken for the Norcross Pottery today. I tend to lean towards the long-established attribution in this case, where these are all products from the Norcross Pottery in Farmington, but the fact that the jug of discussion is marked with what appears to be a person's initial (JG) remain a riddle to me. The questions will continue (in my mind) whether the initial actually belongs to John Goodell, Jr. or another person with the same initial. This may be a case, where none of us were alive when any of these jugs were made (especially the jug marked, JG) and unless evidence is found in the future that ties John Goodell, Jr. to either Farmington, Maine and/or the Norcross Pottery that the true origin of the initialed jug is only left up to speculation and an educated opinion.

Norcross Pottery Attributed Red Earthenware Jug - Farmington, ME
Ca. 1820-1860

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc. - Boston & Marlborough, Mass

Norcross Pottery Attributed Red Earthenware Jug - Farmington, ME
Ca. 1820-1860

Stands Approximately 6" Tall 

Photo Courtesy: Private Massachusetts Collection

Norcross Pottery Attributed Red Earthenware Jug - Farmington, ME

Retains an Old Tag on the Base that Reads, "$125, Matthias Norcross, Farmington, Maine"
Ca. 1820-1860

Stands 6 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Willis Henry Auctions - Marshfield, Mass.

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