The Whereabouts of Longfellow's Hand-Written Version of Keramos and the Dodge Pottery in Portland, Maine

While working on my most recent book in my pottery book series published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Maine, I came across some interesting information published in the Evening Express on January 23, 1896. Furthermore, it is well documented today that the source of inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's (1807-1882) poem, Kermos, the song of the potter, came from an old Portland, Maine potter and his wheel, and this was actually the Dodge Pottery in Portland (where all sorts of red earthenware was made, circa late 1790s to the early 1870s).

However, the account that was published in the Evening Express provides more information, including that Wadsworth actually penned out some of this poem while he sat at the Dodge Pottery as a boy, and that version was then framed and hung in the pottery for many years. 

Nevertheless, I have not previously heard of this hand-written version of the poem before; is it known to exist today or could this be something that is out there left to be rediscovered?

The published information reads, in part, "...It is not generally known that Longfellow wrote these lines when a lad, sitting in the old Dodge Pottery on Canton street, watching Mr. Dodge at work. He picked up a scrap of rough paper and scrawled off the verse. Mr. Dodge kept the screed and afterwards, had it framed and hung on the walls of his shop, where it remained for many years..."

Keramos was eventually published in 1877 after the Dodge Pottery had permanently closed; however, I also found it interesting that the stoneware manufacturers Lamson & Swasey had taken ownership of the old Dodge Pottery by 1877, and they were using it as part of their business. But they probably did not need to cite this information in their advertising so I have also speculated whether this could have had anything to do with Keramos, seeing that they only noted the Dodge Pottery in their advertising in the late 1870s, which is when Keramos was published.

For more information about the Dodges - see the Maine book I wrote that was just published: https://historicbeverly.net/product/94597/

The Whereabouts of Longfellow's Hand-Written Version of Keramos

Portland Stone Ware Company

Published in the Evening Express on January 23, 1896

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Published in the Portland Press Herald on April 15, 1878

Lamson & Swasey Cite the Dodge Pottery for a Few Years in Their Advertising

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