Cape Cod Craftsmanship: The Red Earthenware of Noah Bradford and the Woodwork of Samuel Wing

Another branch of the Bradford pottery business was established on Cape Cod in 1819, when Noah Bradford Jr. (1761-1841) relocated to Barnstable, Massachusetts, to expand the family's regional reach. After acquiring the site from Prince Nye (1781-1850), he operated the pottery there from 1819 to 1830. Fascinatingly, archaeological evidence from this enterprise survives today, having been salvaged in the twentieth century by Brian Cullity, the former curator at Heritage Museums & Gardens (formerly the Sandwich Museum). 

Only a small group of these jars are known today, some of which appear to have been originally owned by a local Sandwich cabinetmaker and are now part of the collection at Old Sturbridge Village. Notably, the Bradford family's output in Kingston and possibly Barnstable also featured a distinct green glaze that is comparable to those produced by Quakers in Bristol County, Massachusetts.

Samuel Wing (1774–1854) established himself as a prominent rural cabinetmaker in neighboring Sandwich, during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Wing's career is remarkably well-documented thanks to the survival of his personal account books and tools. These records reveal that Wing, like many country artisans of his era, sustained his workshop by blending furniture-making with agricultural labor and local trade. Through surviving pieces matched to his documentation, scholars have identified his distinct construction styles and specialized chair-making techniques, illustrating how Cape Cod craftsmen successfully integrated urban stylistic influences from Boston with the practical demands of local agrarian and seafaring populations.

For more information -  see a five-page feature story I wrote for the May 2019 issue of Maine Antique Digest, titled “The Bradford Family Potteries in Massachusetts.” This information was then published again in my fifth book, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod: https://historicbeverly.net/product/a-celebrated-industry-the-historic-wares-of-southeastern-massachusetts-bristol-county-and-cape-cod/. 

These Jars Were Owned by Samuel Wing in Sandwich, Mass.

Likely Made at the Bradford Pottery in Barnstable, Mass.

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Probably Made at the Bradford Pottery in Barnstable, Mass.

Stands 9" Tall and Measures 10" Across

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Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook

A View of One of the Handles

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Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook

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