It is difficult to tell from these photos, but this large very possibly late eighteenth century red earthenware pitcher is decorated in a dark green glaze. It was recently discovered in central Pennsylvania, and thanks to Martha Snyder and others it has been identified as having been made by Andrew Pitman (1760-1838) in the Shenandoah Valley in Stephens City, Virginia.
An excellent archaeology report exists today, titled, Life of a Potter, Andrew Pitman where the William and Mary Center of Archaeological Research in Williamsburg, Virginia conducted a thorough analysis of the artifact assemblage recovered by the James River Institute for Archaeology and the Northern Shenandoah Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia in 1996. The study analyzes Pitman's late eighteenth and early nineteenth century production at his house located within the Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District at 5415 Main Street in Stephens City, located about 80 miles west of Washington, D.C. and about 100 miles west of Baltimore.
According to the Historical Marker Database, "This lot of land was purchased by Pitman on August 17, 1782, upon his return from service in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in the Virginia Militia from 1777 to 1781, and was at Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered. Upon his return, he married and established himself as a potter on this site. He is listed in the 1803 ledger of Winchester, Virginia merchant Godfrey Miller. This ledger shows that he was trading wagon loads of pottery for supplies and merchandise from Miller's store. Research also indicates that this building is probably the oldest surviving pottery in the Shenandoah Valley." Aside from Andrew Pitman, the site of this house supported three generations of red earthenware potters, and it was home to the Pitmans for 112 years.
Interestingly, the size and form of this rare pitcher also reminds me of pitchers manufactured in Philadelphia in the 1700s, which was an industry that had a large impact on potting centers all over America, especially during this period.
An Early Example of Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Pottery Discovered in Central Pennsylvania
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