I just wanted to let anyone know who is anticipating my forthcoming two-volume, 1,468-page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts, that I just finished it today. I'm hoping for a winter 2026 publication date; it will be sent off to my publisher next week.
Forthcoming Tenth Book is Finished!
I am very happy with how this book came out; I think it really demonstrates red earthenware production in the Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts area, etc. from the seventeenth through the twentieth century, combining the area's massive history, beginning with the Puritan Migration in the 1630s, the persecution of Quakers in the 1650s and 1660s, King Philip's War, the Salem Village Witch Trials in 1692, the emergence of Quaker potters, the American Revolution, the China Trade, followed by the nineteenth and twentieth century. It also combines other areas in New England, such as production in Charlestown, Massachusetts before 1775 and production in Bristol County, Massachusetts after 1753, as well as the Symonds family's production in Salem after 1750 (a family most-known today for the furniture they made in the 1600s). There is also a ton of archaeology that has never been published before! Nonetheless, this is how the information will read on the back cover of each volume.
Volume I - 583 Pages
Back Cover Information: The Salem Village, South Danvers (Peabody) and Salem, Massachusetts area has a deep-rooted history, dating back to the seventeenth century, perhaps best-known today for the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and Salem’s maritime trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. However, the area was also the location of one of New England’s most important red earthenware industries, dating back to the 1600s. The area’s pottery businesses were also intertwined with red earthenware production in Charlestown, Massachusetts before the American Revolution, and the industry in Bristol County, Massachusetts, as well as other parts of New England. This book is the first of its kind to explore the red earthenware produced in this part of coastal Massachusetts through archaeology, historical records and surviving objects.
Volume II - 807 Pages
Back Cover Information: The Salem Village, South Danvers (Peabody) and Salem, Massachusetts area has a rich history of Quakers, many of whom were intertwined with local red earthenware production, as well as Quaker potters living elsewhere in New England. The early history of these Quakers is marked by persecution, although it took a long time, but they were eventually met with acceptance. This area was also home to some potters in Salem after 1750, as well as migrants, who influenced local production from France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. This book is the first of its kind to explore the red earthenware produced in this part of coastal Massachusetts through archaeology, historical records and surviving objects.
Interestingly, one object that really stood out to me in the archaeology is this slip decorated red earthenware pan, which was recovered from an eighteenth century archaeological context at the Narbonne House in Salem, Massachusetts. This is a locally produced pan; the center decoration appears similar to a hexmark, which is a symbol related to the Salem Witch Trials, meant to ward off evil spirits and deviltry. Early eighteenth century houses had them on the doors to welcome only good spirits, such as the iron handle found on the front door of the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The Wayside Inn is one of the oldest inns in the country, operating as Howe's Tavern in 1716. This type of mark is also seen on various door handles in Salem today, as well as two doors on my parent's house in Newburyport, Massachusetts (all of which is illustrated in Chapter 1 of the forthcoming book).
18th Century Slip Decorated Pan Recovered in Salem, Mass.
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