Southern Pottery, Northern Shores: Alabama Vase Found Near Acadia National Park in Maine

This is a group of unglazed pottery from the Deep American South, all from a similar era. From left to right: the late-nineteenth or early-twentieth century face jug with a brown slip interior was likely made by the Brown family in Atlanta, Georgia. In the middle, the turn-of-the-century vase with incised lines was recovered from an old house privy in Buena Vista, Georgia, and was likely made in Crawford County. Finally, the larger, early-twentieth century vase with a brown slip interior was found yesterday near Acadia National Park in Maine, though a pencil inscription on its base identifies it as originating from a pottery in Daphne, Alabama.

For a brief history: Daphne, Alabama, has a rich history of pottery production dating back to the early 1900s. While the area was once a hub for industrial brick and tile production, it also fostered a legacy of independent potters. Among the notable figures was Captain William “Billy” O’Neal (1835-1912), who operated the O’Neal Pottery alongside his son-in-law, Peter McAdam (1867-1932), contributing to the area’s established stoneware and red earthenware production. These local operations often relied on proximity to Mobile Bay in order to transport pottery to wider markets. By the mid-twentieth century, the local craft began to evolve as artists like Edith Harwell (1904-1988) brought a more academic and artistic perspective to ceramics, establishing a studio in nearby Fairhope in the 1930s that helped transition the region’s output from purely industrial wares toward fine art pottery.

Collection of Unglazed Pottery from Georgia and Alabama

All Late-19th and Early-20th Century

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A View of the Larger Vase's Base

The Pencil Inscription Reads "The Pottery Daphne Ala"

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