This is a late seventeenth or early eighteenth century slip decorated red earthenware bowl that was recovered by archaeologists in the 1970s at the site of the circa 1681-1780s Salem Village Parsonage in Danvers, Massachusetts (the location of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692). The bowl was found at contact with the 1681 cellar floor, along with several other sherds located elsewhere. The building structure was removed circa 1780s, with the cellar used for infill without classical stratigraphy.
Interestingly, a red earthenware pottery was established in Salem Village in 1687 by James Kettle (1664/65-1712), who had relocated from Charlestown, Massachusetts, operating until 1709. Kettle was also involved with the Salem Witch Trials in 1692: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/03/the-1687-1709-james-kettle-pottery-in.html.
None of this material has been published, although it was known by author, Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982), and her son, historian, archaeologist, and museum curator, Malcolm Watkins (1911-2001). Nonetheless, I will be studying all of this archaeology soon and it will be included in my forthcoming tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers and Peabody, Massachusetts, which I suspect will be published in late 2025 or at some point in 2026.
Late 17th or Early 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Bowl
Recovered from the Cellar of the Salem Village Parsonage in Salem, Mass.
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Richard Trask
Another View of the Bowl
Photo Courtesy: Richard Trask
Included with the Kettle Pottery artifacts were two unglazed pots, although it is unclear the purpose of these objects, whether it was a utilitarian shape or for use in the kiln, However, I was advised by a potter yesterday that they may be a pottery chuck, which is a specialized tool designed to support and stabilize pottery pieces during the trimming process, particularly those with narrow or long necks. The tool's purpose is to provide a secure base for the vessels, allowing potters to trim easily.
Nevertheless, I learned earlier this week that there were actually three of these objects recovered by Watkins at the site of the Kettle Pottery nearly 100 years ago. The third example was owned by the Watkins family until it was gifted to Massachusetts archaeologist and museum specialist Richard Trask in the 1970s.
Circa 1687-1709 Red Earthenware Artifact Recovered in Danvers, Mass.
Recovered at the Site of the James Kettle Pottery in Salem Village
Two Related Objects are Owned by the Smithonsian Institute
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Richard Trask
Another View of the Object
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Richard Trask
Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the James Kettle Pottery in Salem Village
Circa 1687-1709
Published in Early New England Potters and Their Wares
Owned Today by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
See Article for More Information
Artifacts Recovered at the Site of the James Kettle Pottery in Salem Village
Circa 1687-1709
Published in Early New England Potters and Their Wares
Owned Today by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
See Article for More Information
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