A statement that I do not entirely agree with that Lura Woodside Watkins said in Early New England Potters and Their Wares was that "...very little slip decorated pottery was produced in Essex County, Massachusetts in the eighteenth or nineteenth century." I do not believe this to be an accurate statement, and instead it is a subject that has not received much attention with little documentation of said production. Instead, it seems to be that the use of slip was less prevalent in Essex County after the American Revolution, as opposed to before 1775. There were dozens of potters who worked in the area in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and it is very difficult to speak of everything that was produced, however some of the early potters include, Pride, Osborn, Kettle, Southwick, Clark, Wilson, Goldthwaite, Purinton, Cook and Symonds, etc.
The new two-volume book that I am working on now will present all sorts of archaeological evidence showing various types of unique slip designs that were likely produced in the Salem, Danvers and Beverly area. The production of these early potters was really no different than what was happening at the industry in Charlestown, Massachusetts before 1775; there were unique slip designs, as well as styles that were copying British types. There were also potters who appear to have been inspired by red earthenware manufactured in Philadelphia, which is a subject that has not received much attention outside of one potter's advertisement from 1768 in Rhode Island, although that potter originated in Danvers. Various forms recovered from archaeological contexts compared to similar forms produced in Philadelphia may reveal this was more widespread in Massachusetts before 1800: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/06/joseph-wilson-1760s-red-earthenware.html.
Nonetheless, be on the lookout for this new two-volume book in the near future, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts.
I was thrilled yesterday to learn from archaeologist Christa Berenak of some domestic colonial slip decorated red earthenware sherds recovered in Marblehead, Massachusetts, which were almost certainly manufactured locally and will be included in Volume I of the book.
One of the designs incorporates crossing lines of slip and is similar to a known later red earthenware flask or bottle produced during the eighteenth or early nineteenth century period. Perhaps this bottle (see below) was made locally at one of the multigenerational family pottery businesses, although more evidence is needed to prove that statement.
The other design includes a circular or spiraled motif in slip, which is a style recovered at the site of the circa 1687-1709/10 James Kettle (1664/65-1712) Pottery in Salem Village (Danvers), among other contexts in the area. This motif is also a style used by some stoneware potters in the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey area, and dates back hundreds of years to designs in Europe. See these two links to stories that I posted earlier this year to read more about this circular or spiral motif:
1) A Preview of Forthcoming Tenth Book: Some Information About Spiraled Slip Designs Found on 18th Century Coastal Massachusetts Red Earthenware: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/08/a-preview-of-forthcoming-tenth-book.html
2) Some Spiraled Designs Used on Seventeenth Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Recovered on the Thames Foreshore in London: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/08/some-spiraled-designs-used-on.html
This is some information that will be included in the book: "The colonial history of Marblehead, Massachusetts, which is a neighboring community of Salem, is defined by its establishment as a thriving fishing port, starting around 1629, serving as the heart of the colony's fishing and trading industry. From that seventeenth century settlement that largely began with the common lifestyles of early fishermen in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Marblehead grew into a wealthy and prominent seaport, becoming one of the largest towns in the colonies by 1790.
There is no documented early household red earthenware production in the seventeenth, eighteenth or early nineteenth century, such as the case with many of the surrounding Essex County communities. However, some of the local potters certainly shipped their production to Marblehead, as well as perhaps the industry in Charlestown, Massachusetts, etc. before the American Revolution.
Recent archaeological excavations in Marblehead have revealed some very interesting colonial slip decorated red earthenware sherds likely from a local manufacturer (or manufacturers). They were recovered on the property of the Lee Mansion, now the Marblehead Museum.
For a brief history: The Jeremiah Lee Mansion is a pre-Revolutionary Georgian home built in 1768 for the wealthy merchant Jeremiah Lee (1721-1775). Lee was a significant figure in the American Revolution, using his vast shipping enterprise to smuggle arms for the colonial cause before his death in 1775.
However, before Lee built his mansion in the 1760s, an earlier brick kitchen-coach house and outbuildings existed on the property. The slip decorated sherds are from earlier deposits that pre-date the mansion, circa 1690-1750, and possibly represent production from the Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts area. One of the sherds is adorned with a circular or spiraled design, which was discussed earlier in this chapter being a type of design recovered from different contexts in the Danvers area, including the circa 1687-1709/10 James Kettle Pottery in Salem Village (Danvers). The second sherd is adorned with a crossing slip design."
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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