This post is another preview of my forthcoming two-volume, 1,800+ page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2026/01/update-on-new-book-book-sent-to.html.
To conclude Volume II, I wanted to highlight the specific event that ended red earthenware production in South Danvers (now Peabody). Had it not been for this sudden event, the craft might have persisted in Peabody, much like it did with the Stahl family and Lester Breininger (1935-2011) in southeastern Pennsylvania. Here is that story.
"...The history of red earthenware production in the Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly, and Salem, Massachusetts area, dates back to the seventeenth century, though it was a sudden explosion that happened in 1953, which ultimately put a close to this storied industry. Fires happened at the local pottery businesses through the centuries, but this one was different.
For over 200 years, pottery production was kept alive in a section of South Danvers (now Peabody) on Central Street. It started in 1736 with the Osborne family, who ran the kilns for generations. Eventually, Joseph Reed took over the business in the 1850s, followed by Moses B. Paige in 1876, and finally the Paoluccis after 1945. No matter who owned it, the old Osborne pottery shop remained a local landmark that connected the modern times to the colonial period. This shop also stood as a symbol—the lone survivor in the twentieth century from the dozens of businesses that once existed in the area.
This old red earthenware business also stood as a link to other eighteenth and nineteenth century traditions, including the Quaker potters in Bristol County, Massachusetts, family businesses in New Hampshire, and the history of the struggle and eventual rise of the Quaker religion in different parts of America.
The area’s businesses witnessed it all: from the persecution of Quakers in the seventeenth century to the survival of the 1600s and the thriving growth of the 1700s; through the American Revolution, the rise of global maritime trade, and nineteenth century expansion; and finally through the abolitionist movement, the Industrial Revolution, and the dawn of modern times.
Everything changed on April 30, 1953, when a chemical tank at the American Polymer Corporation suddenly overheated and blew up. The blast was so loud that it was felt for miles and shattered windows in nearby homes.
The resulting fire was so intense it threatened all of Wilson Square and completely leveled the historic pottery buildings. For days, the explosion made newspaper headlines; " Blast Rocks North Shore,” "1 Dead, 30 Hurt in Peabody Blast,” and "Peabody Threatened by Fire Resulting from Chemical Blast.”
Since it was too difficult to rebuild, the red earthenware shop closed for good. In a single day, a modern accident destroyed a handmade tradition that had lasted since the 1730s, ending one of the longest-running red earthenware businesses of its kind in America. In theory, had this event not taken place, then production may have continued in Peabody, like it did with the Stahl family and Lester Breininger (1935-2011) in southeastern Pennsylvania."
Note: For more information about twentieth century production in Peabody - see my second published book, titled, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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