EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: An Exhibit of Wares from Greenport, New York Previously Displayed at the Oysterponds Historical Society on Long Island

Thursday, January 24, 2019

An Exhibit of Wares from Greenport, New York Previously Displayed at the Oysterponds Historical Society on Long Island

Last fall, I posted a story, titled, An Unknown Pottery: The Wares Made on Long Island in Greenport, New York After 1819, where I wrote: A nineteenth century red earthenware jar of particular interest was published in the 2008 issue of Ceramics in America; the article was written by Christopher H. Pickerell, stating, "It is my contention that this pot was likely made during the early days of the Hempstead kiln in Greenport, a pottery started by Austin Hempstead and Samuel Osborn in 1819."

The wares made in Greenport in the nineteenth century are virtually unknown today, even though some locals on Long Island are aware that this business existed, somewhat living in the shadow of the well-published Huntington Pottery, also on Long Island. But it is this type of challenge that inspires adventurers and researchers, determined to uncover the facts surrounding the identity of a forgotten potter's business.

While out-and-about yesterday, I received an email from Chris Pickerell; within that email, a few dozen images were attached of artifacts he had collected throughout the years, representing some of the skilled wares manufactured at the previously unknown Greenport Pottery. I was thrilled to see this information, since some of the slip techniques appear unique to Greenport, such as a wonderful bird and an unmistakable hand used to apply slip-script. However, some of the other styles of slip could easily be misrepresented for wares made outside of the area, in places like Pennsylvania and maybe even Connecticut.

All of these artifacts were recovered by Chris at either the site of the pottery or from nearby homes in Greenport - and it is my interpretation that this is really important information. He also discovered some wasters and other artifacts, while scuba diving along the shoreline adjacent to the original pottery site.

Within the article Chris wrote for Ceramics in America, he described how some sherds and other artifacts were discovered: "In the summer of 2006, I had been given permission to investigate the crawl space under an eighteenth century home located on the shore of Sterling Harbor in Greenport, directly adjacent to the Hempstead kiln. The house was to be lifted to make way for a full basement, and I was able to perform a little salvage archaeology before the dig. Over several hours of crawling under this home, I gathered a large number of shell-edge banded, and luster fragments along with quantities of redware. I suspect that some of the redware originated from the nearby kiln based on the proximity of the home as well as the number of misfired and damaged "seconds" in the assemblage."

Nevertheless, red earthenware production from Greenport has also recently been displayed at the Oysterponds Historical Society in Orient, New York, as apart of an American Redware & Stoneware and English Staffordshire Transferware exhibit. According to the museum, "We are fortunate that Chris Pickerell, Marine Program Director of the Cornell Cooperation Extension, and thanks to his expertise, he identified virtually every piece of redware and stoneware in this exhibition."

Among the more fascinating objects from the exhibit is a nineteenth century painting that depicts the Greenport Pottery. The artist is unknown, but the arrangement of the buildings and the harbor are considered correct, demonstrating the close proximity of the pottery to the water.

Greenport, NY Pottery Previously Displayed at the Oysterponds Historical Society