The Circa 1811-1815 William Jackson Pottery of Lynn (Saugus), Massachusetts

The William Jackson Pottery of Lynn (Saugus), Massachusetts is a subject that will be included in Chapter 20 in Volume II of my forthcoming two-volume, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts. Even though this was a short-lived venture - it is an important part of early nineteenth century red earthenware production in the Boston area. The following is an excerpt from the book.

"According to the 1916 book, History of Saugus, Massachusetts: “Jackson’s Meadow, on what is now Central Street (built 1837), from Cliftondale to Saugus Centre, contained a peat deposit and some fine blue clay. About 1808, William Jackson (d. 1829), an Englishman, and for whom, we assume, Jackson Street is named, bought a farm in this part of the town, and finding this clay adapted for brown and red earthenware, began its manufacture, which he continued for four years, Wilbur F. Newhall (1832-1919) informs us.”

Massachusetts author Lura Woodside Watkins added to this information when, Early New England Potters and Their Wares, was published in 1950: “Potteries may have been in existence in Lynn (Massachusetts) at an early period, but the only one of which I have a record was in a section of the present town of Saugus (Massachusetts) known as Cliftondale. It was started by William Jackson, from Manchester, England.

Jackson bought a farm in Cliftondale (then a part of Lynn) in 1808 (known as Jackson's Meadow), and, finding a deposit of clay on his land, he came-to-the-conclusion that it would be possible to make from it a fine kind of earthenware, similar to what was imported from England.

In this hope, he put up a suitable plant, consisting of a large building and two smaller ones, and procured the best equipment and workmen he could find. Production began in 1811 and kept up for four years, but Jackson was doomed to disappointment, financial and otherwise, for the clay proved to be the usual variety from which only common red earthenware was made.”

Jackson advertised his business as “Lynn Earthen Ware” and "Lynn Ware.” He also noted that some of the wares produced were intended for “Country Traders." By definition, a country trader was a merchant who operated in rural or frontier areas, often setting up a general store or trading post. Their business model included barter and credit, supplying the countryside or a remote area with goods, as well as acquiring raw materials for rural businesses. This may indicate that Jackson had his sights set on a big operation, expanding beyond the local marketplace. This was the idea behind some of the most successful New England potters in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

However, it is unclear who the potter or potters were that worked for Jackson, but they may have been local potters that he recruited from the Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts area. This was a business approach taken by a number of people in the American northeast in the nineteenth century, including stoneware factories in New York, as well as a business owned by Nathaniel Rochester (1752-1831) in Western New York before 1831, etc. But it is also clear the potter or potters working for Jackson were accomplished based on the forms that he advertised in Boston in 1811 and 1814, perhaps also suggesting that his ideal target market was eighteen miles to the south of Saugus in Boston, rather than the local marketplace. This would also support the notion of the skilled wares made at Jackson’s pottery business since Boston was a competitive marketplace in the early nineteenth century.

Jackson first advertised his wares in the Boston Gazette on December 16, 1811 (see below); the range of forms was wide and they were the typical shapes of the period used as utilitarian wares in the kitchen and around the household. He also advertised a list of forms in the August 4, 1814 issue of the Boston Gazette (see below).

Among the locations that Jackson's pottery was sold was at a store owned by Henry Wainwright and Thomas Jackson on Exchange Street in Boston, known as Wainwright & Jackson. Jackson of this firm was connected with the Boston Porcelain and Glass Company. The two may have been related. The firm was cited as a dealer in crockery in 1832 and 1848 so they likely dealt in a wide variety of American-made and foreign ceramics.

However, the Wainwright family has a documented history of being shipping merchants in Boston; as a result, it is unknown if Jackson’s pottery was just sold locally or if some of it may have been shipped to other locations. Furthermore, there are examples of Danvers area type pottery recovered from early nineteenth century archaeological contexts in the Boston area; some of this pottery may have been made at Jackson’s business and appeared like wares made in the Danvers and Salem area.

Additionally, Exchange Street in Boston is located a short distance from Faneuil Hall; the street was a key part of the city’s financial and commercial district, and directly related to the maritime trade in Boston harbor.

The only documented example of Jackson’s pottery known to exist today is a red earthenware jar that originally had a lid; the jar is adorned in brushed manganese decoration with some incised lines applied on the rim and the around the shoulder. The jar is also stamped on the base “Jackson." The shape of the jar is similar to some styles produced in North Yarmouth, Maine in the 1800s, although it is unknown if there is any connection. Similar shapes may have also been made in Salem: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2021-08-06/lot-100/Exceedingly-Rare-and-Important-Saugus-MA-Redware-Jar-Marked-JACKSON-circa-1811/.

The reason Jackson’s pottery business did not sustain long term success may be lost to history, although he may not have found the initial success that he had hoped. There was also a lot of competition in the Boston and Essex County, Massachusetts area during this period from both red earthenware and stoneware manufacturers. Moreover, a wide variety of international ceramics were imported from England, Europe and as part of the China Trade, among other domestic and foreign pottery manufacturers.

Nevertheless, Jackson also got into politics; he was a signer of a petition that requested that Lynn's Second Parish be set off as a separate town known as Westport. The plan was abandoned, however the following year the Second Parish separated from Lynn and became the Town of Saugus. Saugus' first town meeting was held on March 13, 1815 and Jackson was elected Saugus' first Town Moderator. In 1827 and 1828, Jackson represented Saugus in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Jackson married Mary Stocker Stanford Jackson (1784-1850) of Lynn on January 10, 1809. The couple had at least seven children, where one son, Pickmore Jackson (1822-1892), also served as a state representative from Saugus. Pickmore was listed as a leather dealer working in the shoe industry in the 1870 and 1880 United States Federal Censuses, as well as his record of death from 1892. William Jackson died on March 5, 1829..."

The Circa 1811-1815 William Jackson Pottery

William Jackson's Pottery; "Lynn Earthen Ware"

Advertised in the December 16, 1811 Issue of the Boston Gazette

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William Jackson's Pottery; "Lynn Ware"

Advertised in the August 4, 1814 Issue of the Boston Gazette

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Information that Will be Included in Forthcoming Tenth Book

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