A Pair of 19th Century Red Earthenware Objects that Were Discovered in Early Contexts of Ownership in Western Massachusetts

Yesterday, while riding my bike through Newburyport and Newbury, Massachusetts, I briefly stopped to admire one of my favorite eighteenth-century homes in the area. The following house is located near the upper green in Newbury, which is a pre-Revolutionary common. I guess it's the combination of the landscape, the architecture, the garden statues, the choice of paint colors, the center entrance, the pair of chimneys - and, the obvious history that originally attracted me to this house years ago when I was actually a little kid. It's always stood as a landmark (to me).

I recently asked my parents about the home - and, they told me that they believe the front door is actually original to an eighteenth-century house in Deerfield, Massachusetts. That's what they were told when they first moved to Newburyport in the 1970's. They've always had an appreciation for old homes - it's probably where my appreciation began. They've restored a couple of eighteenth and nineteenth-century homes in Newburyport.

Much like Newburyport and Newbury (and, West Newbury) - Deerfield is also an area that is filled with eighteenth-century homes. Regrettably, I don't know when the door was added to the house - I also don't know why the door may have been added - neither, do I know what happened to the original door. None-the-less, the new 'old' door looks great. It seems to be a flawless fit as a later addition to this period home.

Curiously, when I continued on my bike ride - I thought about Historic Deerfield. I wondered about the museum's collection of red earthenware and stoneware. I reflected upon the types of utilitarian pottery that may have existed in the eighteenth-century and even the nineteenth-century homes in the greater Deerfield area - that's the time period when this front door seems to have originally existed in western Massachusetts. I also wondered if the door's original home still stood today. I assume that this door was removed from Deerfield (possibly as part of a demolition) at some point during the twentieth-century.

When I got home - I chose to log onto Historic Deerfield's online collections database to see what I could find in terms of any pottery that may have been discovered in the area. I was interested to see if there was any red earthenware or stoneware that may have been recovered in any type of early context - especially, anything within the area's collection of early homes. Basically, this is the type of pottery that I enjoy most today - objects that are found in an early context of ownership. But, this is a type of ownership that many collectors and museums have also desired for decades now - truthfully, this is really the type of ownership that has been written about by people like the important Cape Cod collector, Charles Cook for almost a century. My hunt is often the same traveled path that many of the longtime collectors today and collectors from generations past have already traveled down. Understandably, it's a lot more-difficult, to discover such an object, in this type of a context today versus thirty or forty or even one-hundred-years ago.

 18th Century Home Located in Newbury, Massachusetts

The Front Door is Said to Have Been Original to an 18th Century Home in Deerfield, Mass.

Another View of the House

This is what I found - and, before I go any further - I want to say that these aren't necessarily the most-spectacular objects; however, the context that they were discovered within is what makes them so interesting today. It's very-likely that both of these objects were produced no more than twenty-miles away from Deerfield before 1830.

According to Historic Deerfield, "This pot is probably an example of locally-made, hand-thrown redware, and could have been made at any of the local potteries such as those in Whately, Ashfield or Northampton, Massachusetts. The donor found this pot during renovations between the walls of the Herman Field (1790-1842) house in Leveritt, Massachusetts. Field, was instrumental in founding Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts (which was founded in 1821)."

Due to the condition of this pot - and, really, the lack of any outstanding glaze - I wouldn't even know where to begin to try and determine where this object was made. Although, due to the context that it was discovered within - I would agree and say that it was probably made at one of the local potter's businesses in the nearby towns that the museum cites. I would also like to add that the form does slightly resemble some of the handled pots that were produced in Peabody (formerly South Danvers), Massachusetts and Concord, New Hampshire in the early-to-mid nineteenth-century (before 1840). Coincidentally, both of these areas are connected today due to a potter, who traveled to Concord after he apprenticed in Peabody. It's possibly that this pot may possess that same type of relationship to a potter or a potter's business that began in the huge industry located in Essex County, Massachusetts.

Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Discovered in Leveritt, Mass.

Found During Renovations in the Walls of the Herman Field House

Likely a Product Produced by a Potter Located Near Deerfield, Mass.

Circa 1800-1815

Stands 7 1/4" Tall

 Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.

This next object really interests me since the overall red earthenware output from this potter's business is not widely known despite producing red earthenware for roughly thirty-years - instead, this particular potter is mostly known for his red earthenware teapots and stoneware production today. I feel it would be really helpful if more from this potter's output could be published today, which would include the red earthenware forms of jugs, pitchers, pots, crocks, pans, jars and such. They were all produced at this potter's business, but most of this material is not easily available - nor, is it completely understood. However, I believe there is surviving archaeological evidence today that represents a lot of this important information.

According to Historic Deerfield, "This large jug (stands 10 3/8" tall) is attributed to the potter, Thomas Crafts (1781-1861), who was one of the most successful potters in Whately (a town just south of Deerfield). Crafts began making redware pottery in 1802, developing a successful teapot business, which sold throughout New England, especially his black lead-glazed teapots. Thomas switched to salt-glazed stoneware in 1833 and was active until 1848, turning over the business to his sons.

This jug (missing handle) was bought at Ken Miller's Auction Barn in Northfield, Massachusetts (July 21, 1999), from the collection of Henry Baldwin, a collector and author on books written about Whately pottery. The jug was found in the cellar of the oldest home in Whately shortly before it burned (year not cited), which was owned by Baldwin's father in-law (the jug was discovered when he acquired the home)."

This jug shows evidence of crackling and glaze separation that occurred during the firing process - I want to note that this type of glaze is not often attributed to Whately or the Thomas Crafts Pottery today. Rather, it is often said to have been a style that was commonly found on products made in Maine, western New York, Ontario and Virginia in the 1800's. However, I bet that there are examples of red earthenware made at the Crafts Pottery, which exist today - that are probably attributed to one of the areas that I just cited. In fact - a similar glaze was also accomplished at the Abner S. Wight Pottery in West Sterling, Massachusetts in the 1860's.

The saying really holds true here that you typically cannot attribute a certain object on glaze alone. A longtime collector once told me that "the form never lies" - that's been a statement that I have always tried to consider when pursuing an object for its true origin.

Large 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to the Thomas Crafts Pottery - Whately, Mass.

Found Years Ago in the Cellar of the Oldest Home in Whately, Mass.

Circa 1825-1830

Stands 10 3/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.

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