A Recently Acquired Great Make-Do Stoneware Birdhouse that was Found in a Barn in Rockford, Illinois

Last month, I wrote about this incredible make-do birdhouse utilizing a stoneware jug, which I am thrilled to say that my niece, nephew and myself purchased for mother's birthday. I have never seen anything like this before, and thought it would be a perfect gift since it basically combines three of my mother's favorite subjects: antiques, gardening and birds.

This is what I posted about this great object last month: "The definition of the term make-do is when something serves as a substitute, often an object that may be considered superior to the real thing. But there is also a great amount of ingenuity that goes into a make-do, especially when it comes to ceramics and pottery. In fact, however make-dos where once viewed, they are now highly prized today.

For instance, this wonderful make-do is like nothing that I have ever seen before - whoever made this used a nineteenth century stoneware jug and turned it into a birdhouse, using what may have been some scrap or leftover wood. I think this is so cool!

I recently learned about this object from Justin Enger, an antiques dealer and collector from South Dakota who now owns the birdhouse. But he also told me that it was found in a barn in Rockford, Illinois, which may very likely be the property that it was originally used.

I would also guess that the jug was likely made in the Midwest (maybe Illinois), but I don't think it really matters that much, seeing the creativity that went into this object. I have never seen anything like this before."

Make-Do Birdhouse Found in a Barn in Illinois

Make-Do Birdhouse Utilizing a 19th Century Stoneware Jug

The Jug May Have Been Made in the Midwest
Found in a Barn in Rockford, IL

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Another View of the Birdhouse

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Another View of the Birdhouse

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Another View of the Birdhouse

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Another View of the Birdhouse

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 Another View of the Birdhouse

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Photo Courtesy: Justin Enger

 Another View of the Birdhouse

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Photo Courtesy: Justin Enger

 Another View of the Birdhouse

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Photo Courtesy: Justin Enger

 Another View of the Birdhouse

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Photo Courtesy: Justin Enger

 Another View of the Birdhouse

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Photo Courtesy: Justin Enger

Another View of the Birdhouse

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Photo Courtesy: Justin Enger

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

A Candle Mold from Alvin Wilcox's Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York Recovered on Brigham Young's Property in Mendon, New York

I am currently in conversation with the Museum of Church History in Salt Lake City, Utah for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I hope to share some of the archaeology from Heber C. Kimball's (1801-1868) Pottery in Mendon, New York, as well as the local pottery artifacts recovered by New York historian, Sheldon Fisher (1907-2002) at the site of Brigham Young's (1801-1877) house, also in Mendon.

Fisher wrote in the October 1980 issue of New York History, "Like the other founders of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young has been studied as a spiritual leader and as an administrator. That he earned his bread in the early years as a carpenter and other homely tasks has been mentioned only in passing by his biographers, and his workaday life in Mendon, where he was living when he became interested in Mormonism, has not been studied at all.

One reason for this neglect is the lack of historical sources for Young's earlier years. After he joined the Mormon Church in 1832 he began to keep a journal. And from that time to the end of his life, he and his contemporaries left a clear record of his activities. It is not surprising that there are no similar accounts of Brigham's youth and his years as a young carpenter and builder in Mendon. He had not yet distinguished himself from the general population of farmers and artisans who then inhabited Western New York.

But in addition to his own terse references in later writings, sources for Brigham Young's Mendon years do exist. One is literary - a group of documents relating to my own ancestors, the Sheldon family of Mendon, contemporaries of Brigham Young. The other is physical - the artifacts and related evidence recovered in six summers of archaeological excavation at the site of Brigham Young's mill site in Mendon.

Having determined the site of Young's house and shop, I obtained exclusive digging rights in 1972 from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hutchinson, who then owned the property, and began an archaeological investigation that would lead to additional information about Brigham Young's years in Mendon, and possibly to fresh insights into his life and character during that time when he began his great spiritual adventure."

Among the locally made red earthenware recovered at the site of Brigham Young's house was a collection of artifacts thought to have been made at the Kimball Potttery; however, Fisher also recovered the remains of some slipware reportedly attributed to the Nathaniel Rochester (1751-1831) Pottery in Rochester, New York, as well as a single marked red earthenware candle mold from the Alvin Wilcox (1801-1862) Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York.

The Wilcox Pottery candle molds are thought to have been made in the late 1840s and 1850s, and were typically manufactured in groups held together by a wooden or pine frame. The earliest that I have seen these objects advertised was 1849. But the context at the site of Brigham Young's house could suggest that these molds were also made in the 1820s and/or early 1830s, given that the context that they were found was when Brigham Young still occupied the property. Although, I am still trying to determine the exact situation of ownership, seeing that the mold may have been used years after Brigham Young left for Utah.

Nonetheless, I hope to share pictures of the locally made red earthenware artifacts found on Brigham Young's property and at the site of the Kendall Pottery in Mendon later this summer.

Note: These candle molds were not found on Brigham Young's property; they are privately owned, but they do represent the type that was discovered.

Marked Candle Molds from Alvin Wilcox's Pottery in West Bloomfield, NY

19th Century Red Earthenware Candle Molds

Marked by Alvin Wilcox from West Bloomfield, New York

A Similar Candle Mold was Recovered on Brigham Young's Property in Mendon, NY

Made Before 1860

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Mark Newton

Wonderful Earthenware Face Vessel in the Shape of a Bowl on Display at the National Museum of the American Indian

While vacationing with my nephew Jason last month, we visited the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. We had just seen the Thomas Chandler stoneware exhibit a few days before at the McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina in Columbia; the Chandler exhibit included a group of spectacular nineteenth face jugs from the Edgefield District in South Carolina.

Although, I was surprised to see this ancient earthenware bowl in the shape of a human skull on display at the National Museum of the American Indian, which was reportedly made during the Mississippian Era in the area known today as Arkansas. Among the features that really piqued my interest about this object was the manufacture of the teeth, which reminded me of the teeth found on some of the Edgefield face jugs that I had just seen at the McKissick Museum.

According to the University of California at Berkeley, "During the Mississippian Era (AD 900-1541), Arkansas' Native American population reached a peak that has been estimated as low as 75,000 and as high as 350,000. Evidence suggests that by 1541, tens of thousands of people lived in compact, often fortified villages along the Mississippi River. An economy based on the cultivation of maize, beans and squash, still supplemented by hunting and the gathering of wild foodstuffs contributed to the growth. 

Two prominent Mississippian groups in Arkansas were the Parkin people, who lived along the St. Francis River, and the Nodena people, who resided along the Mississippi in extreme northeast Arkansas. Both groups built large towns combining platform mounds, plazas, and numerous square houses with thatched roofs. Their arts included elaborately shaped pottery, shell engraving, weaving, sculpture and woodcarving.

Of all the objects that I saw at the National Museum of the American Indian, this is the piece of pottery that I was really in awe of most. This is a great museum that I highly recommend. There is so much more to see than just pottery.

Native American Earthenware Face Vessel

Native American Earthenware Face Vessel in the Shape of a Bowl

Circa 1200-1600 AD

Made During the Mississippian Era in the Area Known Today as Arkansas

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute

Another View of the Object

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute

Information Displayed with the Face Vessel

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute

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

Two Great Images of the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts

Last weekend, I was thrilled to write that I had just acquired an original nineteenth century picture of the C.A. Lawrence Pottery kiln in Beverly, Massachusetts, after a fire on May 14, 1883. The owner of the business, Charles A. Lawrence (1829-1906) is illustrated in the image along with some of the company's other potters and workers.

I also recently learned about another original picture of the Beverly Pottery in the collection of the Beverly Historical Society. This picture shows a circa 1905 view of Beverly from Green's Hill with the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in the foreground. This picture is spectacular seeing that it really illustrates the size of this business.

Another image of the pottery is also known from about 1870, which shows another view of the business from the Bass River, where the name of the company is prominently seen on the side of the building.

Images of the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

View of Beverly from Green's Hill with the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in the Foreground

Circa 1905

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Photo Courtesy: Beverly, Mass. Historical Society

The C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass. 

Circa 1905

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Photo Courtesy: Beverly, Mass. Historical Society

The C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass. on the Bass River

Circa 1870

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Photo Courtesy: Beverly, Mass. Historical Society

Another Version of the Same Photo

Circa 1870

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Photo Courtesy: Beverly, Mass. Historical Society

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

The Archaeology of Brigham Young's Property in Mendon, New York, and the Remains of Wares Made by Heber C. Kimball

Yesterday, I posted an article that analyzed the pottery production of Heber Chase Kimball (1801-1868), an important red earthenware potter employed in Mendon, New York in the 1820s and early 1830s. Although, Kimball is most recognized today as a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement having relocated from Western New York to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he served as one of the original twelve apostles and first counselor to Brigham Young (1801-1877) for more than two decades.

But before any of that happened, Kimball moved to the Mendon area from Vermont in 1820 to learn pottery from his older brother, Charles Kimball. Heber had already apprenticed as a blacksmith with his father. Soon after his November 1822 marriage to Vilate Murray, Heber bought out his brother's pottery and went into business for himself, producing red earthenware from 1822 until about 1833. And since this was largely his main source of income, Heber must have manufactured a good amount of pottery during this period.

As part of what I wrote yesterday, I cited the fact that the site of Brigham Young's home and mill in Mendon were excavated from 1972-1977 by Victor, New York historian, Sheldon Fisher (1907-2002). The archaeology included various pots attributed to Kimball, some with wavy incised line decoration. Some of the objects recovered by Fisher went to the Historic Valentown Museum in New York, but all have since been purchased by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and were shipped to Salt Lake City.

However, I sat down last night trying to learn more about the artifacts recovered by Fisher, and I found he published an article in the October 1980 issue of New York History, presenting the results of his excavations at the site of Brigham Young's home and shop in Mendon, New York. Much of the article pertained to the history of the site, and the life of Brigham Young, but archaeology did present compelling information based on Fisher's interpretation of the site: "Like the other founders of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young has been studied as a spiritual leader and as an administrator. That he earned his bread in the early years as a carpenter and other homely tasks has been mentioned only in passing by his biographers, and his workaday life in Mendon, where he was living when he became interested in Mormonism, has not been studied at all.

One reason for this neglect is the lack of historical sources for Young's earlier years. After he joined the Mormon Church in 1832 he began to keep a journal. And from that time to the end of his life, he and his contemporaries left a clear record of his activities. It is not surprising that there are no similar accounts of Brigham's youth and his years as a young carpenter and builder in Mendon. He had not yet distinguished himself from the general population of farmers and artisans who then inhabited Western New York.

But in addition to his own terse references in later writings, sources for Brigham Young's Mendon years do exist. One is literary - a group of documents relating to my own ancestors, the Sheldon family of Mendon, contemporaries of Brigham Young. The other is physical - the artifacts and related evidence recovered in six summers of archaeological excavation at the site of Brigham Young's mill site in Mendon.

Having determined the site of Young's house and shop, I obtained exclusive digging rights in 1972 from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hutchinson, who then owned the property, and began an archaeological investigation that would lead to additional information about Brigham Young's years in Mendon, and possibly to fresh insights into his life and character during that time when he began his great spiritual adventure."

 Maps Showing the Site of Brigham Young's Property and the Layout of His Business

Aside from the archaeology, Fisher also collected old wood that had come from Young's shop, as well as his tools. Fisher says that he gathered old lumber from ancient buildings such as Charles and Heber C. Kimball's pottery shop, including Christian doors, wide floorboards and fireplace mantels, which I believe are now owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.

The site reportedly produced an amazing variety of artifacts related to Young's business, showing the types of wood he worked with, nails and broken tools, as well as items found in everyday life like shoes, glassware, imported ceramics and food scrap remains.

While working on the site, the property owner Robert Hutchinson told Sheldon Fisher that when he bought the property, the attic of the house was filled with Young's furniture; he made chairs, trunks - even chest-of-drawers and tables, as well as handy household equipment similar to that of the Shakers.

"Another archaeological study I hope to do is of the nearby pottery shop of Mormon pioneer Heber C. Kimball, a professional potter. Heber and Brigham's friendship started here with their similar interests. Within the collection of pottery from Brigham's site are examples of Kimball's work. Mixed in are fragments of pottery made by the noted Alvin Wilcox of West Bloomfield, an early employer of Heber Chase Kimball. In my collection is a very large pottery vessel made by Heber, finer and more artistic than anything known to have been made by Wilcox."

Unfortunately, I have not been able to determine if Sheldon Fisher ever actually excavated the  Kimball Pottery site, but the large pottery vessel made by Heber that he wrote about and another jar were sold from Fisher's private Valentown Museum in 1984 to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both of these jars had descended in Fisher's family and are said to have been purchased brand from the Kimball Pottery. I suspect that if any archaeology from the pottery exists that it was also likely sold to the church in the 1980s.

I would also like to add that yesterday I noted the fact that Heber manufactured two-and-three colored trailed slip-decorated red earthenware. I said that one form decorated with this style was known, but I suspect that other forms were also decorated in this manner. However, I am also curious to know what other types of slipware was produced by Heber and if any of this production is interpreted for other pottery produced by other Western New York potters today.

Heber Kimball Jars that Descended in the Family of Sheldon Fisher

 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Reportedly Purchased Directly from Heber in the 1820s or Early-1830s

Descended in the Family of Sheldon Fisher

Circa 1822-1833

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Museum of Church History and Art

  19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Reportedly Purchased Directly from Heber in the 1820s or Early-1830s

Descended in the Family of Sheldon Fisher

Circa 1822-1833

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Museum of Church History and Art

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

Two-and-Three Colored Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Manufactured by Heber C. Kimball in Mendon, New York

Below I have posted a nineteenth century slip-decorated red earthenware jar that is published in Gene Comstock's book, The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region: "The slip-decorated jar is attributed to John Bell in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, circa 1829. The molding on the neck of this vessel has only been seen on John Bell's work. Although it has a Hagerstown, Maryland form, its rim is like those found on a number of Shenandoah Valley sherds and not necessarily a Hagerstown characteristic. The trailed decorative applications are of copper, manganese and white slips."

By no means am I trying to create a controversy over the origin of this jar attributed to John Bell (1800-1880), who is considered by some scholars to have manufactured the best red earthenware made anywhere in America in the 1800s. Aside from being published in The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region, this jar sold at a Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates auction in Mount Crawford, Virginia in 2004, and again at a Crocker Farm auction in Sparks, Maryland in 2013. The decoration found on this jar is also similar in some ways to pottery manufactured by Heber Chase Kimball (1801-1868) in Mendon, New York in the 1820s-1830s, an important potter who I began writing about earlier this year.

According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, "Heber C. Kimball was born on June 14, 1801, in Sheldon, Vermont. He was ordained as one of the original 12 Apostles on February 14, 1835, and later sustained as first counselor to President Brigham Young (1801-1877) who was also from Vermont, on December 27, 1847. Kimball died on June 22, 1868, in Salt Lake City, at the age of 67. He was a potter by trade, and he frequently referred to the Saints as "Clay in the Hands of the Potter." He delivered his discourse on April 2, 1854."

Furthermore, agreeing to take on plural marriage, then part of church doctrine, Kimball married 43 women throughout his lifetime, and had a total of 66 children by 17 of his wives.

However, before Kimball arrived in Utah, he left Vermont and relocated about 15 miles south of Rochester, New York to Mendon, Monroe County, New York in the western part of the state. This may have been a religious quest, seeing that at the time, parts of New York were engulfed with new religious movements, finding much of this activity in central and western upstate New York.

This was also a time in Western New York history, when land opened up for settlement, men and women left their rocky farms in New England and moved west, while Pennsylvanians and Marylanders migrated from the south. 

It was in Mendon that Kimball first became a Mormon leader, but he also bought a pottery owned by his brother around 1822, operating until about 1833. Very little is known about this production today, even though there must be surviving examples in existence. Although, I have found no evidence that suggests any of this pottery was ever marked, nor does it appear that the site has ever been excavated for archaeological remains. I also do not believe it has been identified where Kimball was originally taught to make pottery, which he may have learned from his brother, but he may have learned the trade in Vermont, as well.

According to one twentieth century historian, Stanley B. Kimball (1926-2003), "The energetic Heber could turn out 20 dozen milk pans on a hard day at the potter's wheel. Apparently he specialized in common brownware made from fine-textured clay burned to a very high degree and covered by a hard brown glaze. It was used mainly for simple kitchen and table items - jars, crocks, pitchers, bottles, mugs, pots, milk pans, cups, churns and plates"

Though Kimball gave up his potter's wheel once he was ordained as an apostle, he did not forget his experience as a potter. In later sermons, Kimball compared the shaping of his own life by the Lord "to the molding of malleable clay with his own hands."

Nonetheless, I just learned that the site of Brigham Young's home and mill in Mendon were excavated from 1972-1977 by Victor, New York historian, Sheldon Fisher (1907-2002). As part of the archaeology, various pots attributed to Kimball were recovered, some with wavy incised line decoration. Some of the objects recovered by Fisher went to the Historic Valentown Museum in New York, but all have since been purchased by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and were shipped to Salt Lake City.

Flowerpot Attributed to Heber C. Kimball

19th Century Red Earthenware Flowerpot with Wavy Incised Line Decoration
Recovered at the Site of the Brigham Young's House and Mill

Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Circa 1822-1833

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Historic Valentown Museum

Information Accompanying the Flowerpot

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Historic Valentown Museum

Among the objects owned by the Museum of Church History & Art in Salt Lake City are two jars that were reportedly purchased directly from Heber C. Kimball, and another jar that was acquired by the museum directly from Heber's son, Solomon Kimball (1847-1920) in the 1870s. The jar that Solomon owned is decorated extensively in copper, manganese and white slips, as well as some combed incised decoration (similar to that found on the flowerpot). The form of this jar and the style of the slip matches a jar that sold over the weekend at Crocker Farm's 15th Anniversary Sale - although, the style of the trailed slip found on both of these jars is also a style found with wares made in the Shenandoah Valley, some of those objects are marked, while others are just attributed.

But thanks to the objects owned by the Museum of Church History & Art and the well-documented history of ownership that accompanies each piece, this style of two-and-three colored trailed slip-decoration can also be attributed to production in Western New York. Whereas, I am now curious to learn what other forms Heber C. Kimball may have made with this type of trailed slip-decoration since I suspect that it was not limited to just one form.

Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar Attributed to John Bell

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar 

Attributed to John Bell in Chambersburg, PA

Stands 9 1/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates

Heber C. Kimball's Red Earthenware Production in Western New York

This is Heber C. Kimball (1801-1868)

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Utah State Historical Society

 19th Century Two-Colored Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Very Likely Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Very Likely Circa 1822-1833

Stands 7" Tall

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm

19th Century Three-Colored Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Acquired by the Museum in 1870 from Solomon Kimball

Circa 1822-1833

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Museum of Church History and Art

  19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Reportedly Purchased Directly from Heber in the 1820s or Early-1830s

Circa 1822-1833

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Museum of Church History and Art

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Heber C. Kimball Pottery in Mendon, NY

Reportedly Purchased Directly from Heber in the 1820s or Early-1830s

Circa 1822-1833

 See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Museum of Church History and Art

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Inscribed "Ice Cream"

Attributed to Heber C. Kimball's Pottery in Mendon, NY

Circa 1822-1833

Stands About 14" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Livingston County Historical Society Museum in Geneseo, NY

Another View of the Jar

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Photo Courtesy: Livingston County Historical Society Museum in Geneseo, NY

Heber C. Kimball's 19th Century Tool Chest

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Museum of Church History and Art

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

A Pair of 19th Century Red Earthenware Oil Lamps Possibly from Southeastern Massachusetts

While on vacation last month with my nephew Jason, we visited Ivy Hall Antiques in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania. I have heard great comments about this group shop, but I have never taken the time to visit. But we decided to stop at the shop since we had some extra time after visiting the pottery exhibit at the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Inside the store, we found an extremely rare nineteenth century red earthenware oil lamp that had just sold at Crocker Farm's March 2019 sale in Sparks, Maryland. It was found in the booth of Virginia antiques dealers, Chris and Bernadette Evans.

I suspect the lamp was made in Southeastern Massachusetts, possibly in Bristol County, based on the form, which certainly resembles the form of a very rare red earthenware jar made in Bristol County in the early-nineteenth century. There are only a small group of these jars with indented sides known today - one being owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and the others privately owned. This is a form that I consider to be unique to Bristol County, and thus why I suggest this is where the oil lamp may have been manufactured. Falmouth, Massachusetts antiques dealer, Hilary Nolan has told me that this form of jar may have made it easier to pour the contents.

It is really remarkable to hold this object, seeing how rare this form is to find from any American red earthenware potter today. And the only feature about it that is missing is the burner insert, which would have been made out of another material. Interestingly, the industry in Bristol County was located a short distance from New Bedford, Massachusetts, where there was a huge whaling industry that was considered to be the greatest whaling port in the world in the 1800s.

When Crocker Farm sold this lamp about four months ago, another oil lamp was included in the lot that I believe is from the same manufacturer. Although, the form of the second lamp is a little different, but somewhat resembles some of the clear glass oil lamps made in Sandwich, Massachusetts in the nineteenth century.

Both of these lamps were reportedly recently found in a house near Days Ferry, Woolwich, Maine, and the second lamp will be available next month in the booth of Chris and Bernadette Evans at the 62nd Annual New Hampshire Antiques Show at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Red Earthenware Whale Oil Lamps

My Nephew Jason Holding the Oil Lamp Outside Ivy Hall Antiques in Pennsylvania

See Article for More Information

Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar with Indented Sides

Attributed to the Industry in Bristol County, Mass.

Stands About 9" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Oil Lamp with Indented Sides

Possibly Made in SE Massachusetts, Possibly Bristol County, Mass.

Purchased Last Month at Ivy Hall Antiques in Abbottstown, PA

Stands 4 1/8" Tall

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Lamp

See Article for More Information

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

 Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Oil Lamp with Indented Sides

Possibly Made in SE Massachusetts, Possibly Bristol County, Mass.

Stands About 4 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Chris & Bernadette Evans

 Another View of the Lamp

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Chris & Bernadette Evans

 View of the Top of the Lamp

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Chris & Bernadette Evans

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Chris & Bernadette Evans

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

Excellent John Bell Red Earthenware Jar from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania that Just Sold at Crocker Farm in Maryland

Last fall, I visited the Renfrew Museum in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania in order to see the museum's collection of locally-made pottery, mostly objects made by the Bell family in the Shenandoah Valley, especially the wares made at John Bell's business in Waynesboro. Soon after, I posted a story about the trip on this website, and later wrote a feature story about the museum's collection, which was published in the December 7, 2018 issue of Antiques & Auction News.

Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, John Bell (1800-1880) learned the potter's trade from his father Peter Bell (1775-1847), and he later emerged as one of America's preeminent red earthenware and stoneware potters in Waynesboro once his pottery opened in 1833. While there he and his wife Elizabeth had nine children several of whom joined the family business. 

In many ways, Bell's techniques and innovative glazes are among the best produced during the period; many scholars even refer to much of Bell's red earthenware production as the best in America.

Upon Bell's death in 1880, his son John W. Bell (1828-1895), who worked for his father for many years, gained ownership of the pottery, and operated the Waynesboro business from 1881 until his death in 1895. The business eventually caught fire and burned in 1899. The Bell pottery in Waynesboro ended production all-together in 1908.

The Renfrew Museum's collection is truly remarkable, exhibiting hundreds of examples of pottery, along with a large collection of molds, which were used to produce many of the wares that are so recognizable from this business today.

Although, the museum also owns some of the most incredible red earthenware objects manufactured in this country in the 1800s, such as a pair of polychrome decorated red earthenware lions and another lion made by John Bell's brother, Solomon Bell in Strasburg, Virginia, a dated and signed tin-glazed red earthenware jar inscribed "APRIL 22, 1833 / WAYNESBORO," a group of objects made for the Snow Hill Society in nearby Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and a phenomenal red earthenware water cooler.

However, this fantastic small red earthenware jar with sponged copper and manganese decoration could easily fit in with any of the best wares made by the Bell family at the Renfrew Museum. I cannot recall seeing another object like this in any museum or private collection that I have visited.

This jar sold over the weekend at Crocker Farm's 15th Anniversary Sale in Sparks, Maryland. I consider this to be one of the finest examples of Bell's utilitarian red earthenware production in existence today, and also one of the more expensive pieces made by John Bell to sell at auction, bringing more than $22,000, including the buyer's premium. This incredible jar is impressed "J. BELL," and measures only 4 1/4" tall.

Excellent John Bell Red Earthenware Jar

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by John Bell in Waynesboro, PA

Marked "J. BELL"

Circa 1840

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm

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

Excellent David Morgan Stoneware Jug from Manhattan that Just Sold in Austin, Texas

I have always admired the stoneware manufactured by David Morgan in Manhattan in New York City during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centry. Perhaps because some of the New York City production reminds me of stoneware manufactured by William Pecker (1758-1820) in Merrimacport, Massachusetts, where I believe there may be a connection between both locations.

To date, I have not been able to prove New York author, William C. Ketchum's information that he published in Potters and Potteries of New York State, 1650-1900, saying a William Pecker was a potter working in New York City from 1802-07. Ketchum describes this Pecker as being a son, but William Pecker did not have a son by that name. Although, when Ketchum wrote this book, it had not been published or widely known that Pecker was also a stoneware potter. In fact, all of the stoneware archaeology that my nephew, niece and myself have recovered at the site of the pottery has been found within the last five or six years. A lot of these artifacts will be going on display later this summer at a pottery exhibit at the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

However, it may not be a coincidence, either since Pecker repeatedly advertised in the Newburyport Gazette in 1802, trying to sell his pottery business, outhouses and land in Merrimacport; this is the very same year that a potter by his name is first cited by Ketchum as being in New York City.

William Pecker Trying to Sell his Pottery Business in Merrimacport, Mass.

Advertisement from William Pecker in 1802 Trying to Sell his Potter's Business

He Placed this Ad Many Times in the Newburyport Gazette in 1802

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Nevertheless, David Morgan is a fascinating potter seeing that he had a relationship with the Remmey family and Thomas Commeraw in Manhattan. Although, very few examples of marked stoneware are known to exist from him today. This particular jug, marked "David Morgan / New York" sold a few days ago at Austin Auction Gallery in Austin, Texas.

There is also some excellent marked Morgan stoneware in the John Paul Remensnyder Collection at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

According to Ketchum, "The Crolius-Remmey dominance of local stoneware manufacture was only once seriously challenged. In 1797 one Thomas Commeraw, who had appeared in the city the previous year, established a kiln on what was later Cherry Street near Corlear's Hook. This was a location on the East River some distance northeast of the older established manufactories. In the following year his kiln was taken over by David Morgan, a potter who had been employed by John Crolius, Jr., at Chatham Street since 1795. 

There can be no doubt that there was a close relationship between the two craftsmen who worked on Cherry Street, because when Commeraw returned to Corlear's Hook in 1802, Morgan continued to work with him through the following year. Thereafter, David Morgan is listed only once more, in 1809, as a potter in Manhattan; but his son, John worked at Corlear's Hook from 1803 until 1812."

Marked David Morgan Stoneware Jug

Late 18th or Early 19th Century David Morgan Stoneware Jug from Manhattan

One of Only a Small Number of Marked Pieces Known Today

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Photo Courtesy: Austin Auction Gallery

 Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Austin Auction Gallery

 View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Austin Auction Gallery

Another View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Austin Auction Gallery

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