My Account of Quite a Few Very Interesting Discoveries in Merrimacport, Massachusetts Today

The potter, William Pecker (active ca. 1784-1820) is regarded as, "one of New England's earliest and most talented potters" according to an article written for the 2004 edition of Ceramics in America. The article continues to say, "the discovery of a marked Pecker stoneware jar at a Kentucky flea market is surprising given that Pecker is best known for his redware vessels he produced as early as 1784 in West Amesbury (today known as Merrimacport), Massachusetts. In fact, the book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares by Lura Woodside Watkins focuses solely on Pecker's redware production without a mention of any stoneware manufacture."

This morning, I visited the area that I believe William Pecker operated multiple kilns for red earthenware and stoneware production in Merrimacport. I timed my visit precisely with this morning's low tide - and I also left enough time so I could explore the entire area, but also attend a Nan Gurley Antique Show in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that began at 10:00 am. I have really studied this area quite extensively over the past six months and I feel that Pecker likely dumped quite a bit of his kiln waste directly into the Merrimac River - thus why I have such an interest in the tides. If timed perfectly (given the tide and a coastal storm), a great amount of Pecker's stoneware production can be found on the shore of the Merrimac River, which Pecker worked and lived alongside in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.

 The Shore of the Merrimac River in Merrimacport, Ma

 The Shore of the Merrimac River in Merrimacport, Ma

 The Shore of the Merrimac River in Merrimacport, Ma

The Shore of the Merrimac River in Merrimacport, Ma

Previously, I have found hundreds of stoneware sherds, dozens of examples of kiln furniture and recently, stoneware bricks likely from the kiln. It seems like the glaze techniques Pecker used were taken from German and English products for inspiration. I have discovered brown glazed products, but also salt glazed wares. I have also found incised sherds (lines and birds) and plenty of cobalt (blue) decoration. It also appears that his forms varied; what I mean by that is he didn't stick to a single form of jug or crock; he incorporated different styles into his production.

Today was no different than any other visit - I found many sherds and examples of kiln furniture likely related to Pecker's stoneware and red earthenware production. Something I would like to point out is that I've heard collectors often say that a potter produced a certain form or a certain thickness or refined type of product; it's my belief this is false information. I have visited a number of potters sites in New England - and in all the sites that a significant amount of artifacts could be recovered at - I found that styles always varied. The handles were not always the same, the footed bases often varied in form/style and the shapes varied. It's my belief that potters were not a machine - their styles changed. For example, at the Pecker site I have found that Pecker's business produced a rounded footed base, a flat footed base and a sharply cut off base; currently, Pecker usually only gets credit for a sharply cut off base. I also believe that you have to think creatively when it comes to glazes - most people know Pecker today for his pumpkin orange glazes; however, sherds have taught me that Pecker worked with raspberry glazes, black glazes, green glazes, brown glazes and plenty more. I don't think a potter can be defined as a potter who made crude products or a potter who made refined products or a potter who used a specific glaze; I think a potter typically produced their products with the idea of how it would be used. A potter may be labeled today as a potter who made thickly potted products; although that doesn't mean they didn't make or even couldn't make a refined product. If that were the case, they probably wouldn't be a very good potter and most the potters known today worked for decades, which indicates to me that their products were good enough that there was a constant demand; that also suggests to me that beyond the demand, their skill is what kept them in business for so long. No matter the industry, a poor product or an unskilled company doesn't usually last. Simply put, I don't think any potter can be categorized for only manufacturing a single type of product.

Here are two sherds that I collected from the Pecker site today that show the differences in product style; the sherd on the left is from a thickly potted crock while the sherd on the right is from a more refined jug. Isn't it interesting to see this?! These are both Pecker Pottery products.

A Comparison of a Thickly Potted and a Thinly Potted Product from the Same Business

Both Found Today in Merrimacport, Ma

With all that said, here are some of the interesting finds I made today.

I walked a few hundred yards, maybe a little bit more away from the area that I believe Pecker worked; I walked west upriver towards Haverhill, Massachusetts basically out of mere curiosity to see what I may find. I was quite surprised to see a section at the base of a hill that met the shoreline,  which appeared like it had been dug into. As I walked towards it, I could clearly see that this was an obvious clay source, possibly harvested by one of the businesses that worked in Merrimacport. If you notice, the clay color is a grayish-blue, which is the proper colored clay used for red earthenware production in many parts of New England. I easily rolled a clay ball (see below) for reference. It has actually hardened since into somewhat of a soft clay marble.

 A Hill that Had Been Cut into Along the Merrimac River in Merrimacport, Ma

 A Closer Look at the Hill

 Grayish-Blue Clay that has Been Exposed Used for Red Earthenware Production

 Grayish-Blue Clay that has Been Exposed Used for Red Earthenware Production

 A Ball of Clay that I Easily Put Together

Grayish-Blue Clay that has Been Exposed Used for Red Earthenware Production

This is a rather interesting piece I also discovered today; I think it may be part of stoneware saggar, which was a container (saggar) used to minimize any damage that could occur to a vessel during a firing.

 Likely Part of a Stoneware Saggar Found in Merrimacport, Ma Today

Another View of the Possible Saggar

I also found another example of what I believe to be a brick from Pecker's stoneware kiln; it appears to have an ash salt glaze on part of it. This type of brick is rare in New England - especially for bricks that were used around the turn of the nineteenth-century. Most New England bricks are the red brick-type that is usually seen. The type of brick seen below would have allowed Pecker to fire stoneware at a much higher temperature. The local clays (seen above) could not sustain proper temperatures that were required to properly fire stoneware at temperatures that usually exceeded 2,000 degrees. At that temperature, the bricks made from local clays would melt or possibly burn. Stoneware production demands a special clay that is not native in Merrimacport - so Pecker likely had to have this type of clay imported from elsewhere (possibly outside of New England). The local clays in Merrimacport were suitable for red earthenware production that required cooler temperatures when compared to stoneware.

 Likely a Stoneware Brick Used in a Kiln in Merrimacport, Ma

Notice the Ash Salt Glaze on the Front of it

Another View of the Stoneware Brick

This is another example of the stoneware kiln remains that I have found. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it looks like kiln waste attached to the remains of a kiln brick.

 Possibly a Stoneware Kiln Brick

Possibly a Stoneware Kiln Brick

Sewer tile on the shore of the Merrimac River is nothing new to me. I can find it all-over the river from Haverhill to Newburyport; however I have never seen a signed piece before. This piece was found alongside all the stoneware and red earthenware and truthfully, this was the only sherd I found in this area that wasn't directly associated with the production in Merrimacport. The only question I would ask; was there a period in the late-nineteenth-century where sewer tile was sold in Merrimacport? All that is left of the stamp is ER PIPE CO N.

 Collection of Stoneware Artifacts Found in Merrimacport, Ma Today

 Brown Glazed Sewer Tile Found Today

Written on the Sewer Tile Sherd is ER PIPE CO N

This is a simple example of the amount of glaze colors that I have found; this is just what I pulled out of the bag from today. There's quite a range - and if I were to go through the bags of red earthenware sherds I have collected over the past six months - the color palette would show a broad amount of colors.

A Sample of the Glazes Found Today in Merrimacport, Ma

This is rather interesting! It's the largest brick I have ever seen! I would guess and say it had some kind of kiln use, but beyond that would only be a guess. Take a look a look at this! Any ideas what it is?

 Huge Brick Measures 7" by 7"

Huge Brick Stands 1 3/4" Tall

Finally, I want to show this picture of construction that is happening near all the potter's sites in Merrimacport. It all appears to be undeveloped land, but you can only imagine my thoughts when I drove past it today. What could they have exposed? I honestly don't think anything is there, but there's always the chance of something emerging from beneath the ground!

Construction Happening in Merrimacport, Ma

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

Two Days of Adventures: Picking My Way Through Southern Maine and Northern Connecticut

I was on vacation from my job in the Boston television industry this week; rather than utilizing my entire vacation as a planned destination, I decided to designate a few days to picking parts of New England. Earlier this week, I drove north to the southern Maine seacoast; I walked through a number of shops from York to Arundel in search of any newly found pottery that typically makes its way into some of these shops by way of low-end auctions, estate sales and house clean outs. I've actually done pretty-well with this approach searching through these collectible-type shops over the past few years. It's usually hit-or-miss, but you never know what you may come across if you don't look. Below are a few of the shops I went into, but this time around - nothing was found in any of these shops.

 Antique Shop on Route 1 on the Southern Maine Seacoast

  Antique Shop on Route 1 on the Southern Maine Seacoast

 Antique Shop on Route 1 on the Southern Maine Seacoast

In one of the first shops I stopped into was packed with all sorts of material - and in it, I discovered a nineteenth-century red earthenware spittoon in nearly perfect condition. According to what I have read, "In the late nineteenth-century, spittoons became a very common feature found in American pubs, brothels, saloons, hotels, stores, banks, railway carriages and other places where people (usually men) gathered." 

I've seen red earthenware and stoneware spittoons made by utilitarian potters from all-over the United States that span from Virginia and Pennsylvania, right up through Western New York and into the heart of New England; however, this is the first spittoon I have ever seen that I can possibly attribute to coastal Massachusetts. The contrast of the orange and yellow glaze is often found on products made from northeast Massachusetts all the way south into southeastern Massachusetts. It should be pointed out that most of the products I am referring to in this area were made in the early nineteenth-century and this product pretty-much certainly dates after 1860 when spittoons became fashionable. I guess there is also a chance this spittoon was made in places like southern Maine or even in on the New Hampshire seacoast in Exeter, but the refinement of its production leans more towards the Massachusetts industry to me. I believe this is a rare form not often seen today in this part of New England.

 Mid-to-Late 19th Century Red Earthenware Spittoon

Likely Made Somewhere Along Coastal Massachusetts

Found Earlier this Week in a Collectible Shop on the Southern Maine Seacoast

Very Rare Form from Any Coastal Massachusetts Potter

Measures 3 3/4" Tall and 7" Wide at the Base

 View of the Base

 View of the Interior

View of the Incised Line Decoration

Yesterday, I traveled southwest to the northern part of Connecticut to pick through the antique shops in Putnam, which included a huge three-floor, thirty-five thousand square foot group shop filled with 350 different dealers spaces. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything I had to bring home from his store, but I did see a very rare Albany-glazed stoneware jug that was creatively incised with the potter's name (hand-drawn block-fonts), John Low. It was a simple formed jug, but the name made it really special.  

John Low gained a great-deal of fame in the late nineteenth-century when he established the Low Art Tile Company (Ca. 1879-1890) in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The company produced high-end art tiles that were often used as decoration for large restrooms, ice cream part parlors and even mantels that surround fireplaces. Some of the Victorian architecture in and around Boston today still retains such examples of this line of decoration from Low's company.

A single tile from this business can cost upwards of a thousand-dollars or more today depending on the subject, size and form. They are collectible and even some museums keep examples of Low Art Tile's work (i.e. the Smithsonian and Historic New England).

The reason the stoneware jug caught my attention is because it was personally signed by Low, which is something I have never seen before - and secondly, I was not aware of any stoneware jugs made by John Low in Chelsea. Simply put, the jug is a very rare piece that some people may not have been aware was apart of the output in Chelsea in the 1880s; I certainly was not aware of it. It was priced accordingly to its worth so I passed; maybe I will go back at another time!

As I made my way south into Connecticut, I drove past a breathtaking sight that I was forced to stop and photograph. I am not totally sure what it was that I saw, but I believe this may have been an early dam system in full-operation. It was a beautiful late fall setting in northeastern Connecticut that I couldn't resist stopping to see. I could have spent hours at this location - there was also an old brick foundation that I didn't photograph that I also checked out.

After finding nothing in Putnam, I decided to drive a few miles east to a shop I found through a Google search in South Woodstock, Connecticut called, Scranton's Antiques. Ironically, the last name Scranton is a very important name associated with the New England red earthenware community over the past forty or more years; however there is no association between that name and this shop. It was just an interesting coincidence!

 Scranton's Antiques - South Woodstock, Ct

 Scranton's Antiques - South Woodstock, Ct

 Scranton's Antiques - South Woodstock, Ct

In this shop, I found a spectacular example of Charles A. Lawrence Pottery made in Beverly, Massachusetts after 1872 hidden on a back shelf on the second floor. It was discounted because they haven't been able to sell it. I've seen a similar form made in Beverly with a similar decoration before; however I have not seen this type of decorated jar with these handles before. This type of formed handles are among the more popular handles I have found on handled products from Beverly; however what really drew me to this jar is the spectacular original blue paint. I've never seen anything like it before. The color is incredible in-person! The hand-thrown pot or jar is just a beautiful piece that I couldn't resist. I also couldn't resist the discounted price of only ten bucks!!

 19th Century Painted Red Earthenware Pot Made at C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Ma

Ca. 1870s, 1880s or 1890s

Found Yesterday in a Shop in South Woodstock, Ct

Stands " Tall

 View of the Interior

View of One of the Four Handles

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

An Important 18th Century Slip Decorated Pot that Recently Sold at Tim Gould's Auction in Gardiner, Maine Visits the Boston Archaeology Department

The eighteenth century slip decorated red earthenware pot that sold at Tim Gould's auction in Gardniner, Maine a few weeks ago, made its way into the Boston Archaeology Department today in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. The belief is that this pot was made in Charlestown, Massachusetts between 1735 and 1755.

The pot was reportedly found in a house a few miles northwest of Charlestown in Winchester, Massachusetts in 1976. It also reportedly has ties to Nina Fletcher Little, who is a very important name associated with New England antiques, as well as American-made folk art.

Little was a major collector, who owned two homes; her summer home, known as Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Massachusetts was acquired in the twentieth century by Historic New England with all of her original decorations and furnishings still intact the way she would have displayed them. It is an incredible collection that has inspired quite a bit of published material - and, the collection even still inspires most collectors, dealers, museums, researchers, writers, etc. today.

The significance of Charlestown-made red earthenware today is strictly the idea that very little exists - and, this pot is likely the most prominent example known. The reason so-little exists is entirely due to the American Revolution, where the entire industry was burned to the ground at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Prior to English soldiers leveling the town and everything that belonged to it, the town was home to roughly forty skilled utilitarian red earthenware potters, whose products were exported to a number of coastal communities in New England and even possibly further north into parts of Canada. It was an industry that was centralized in New England serving many local needs; simply put, it was an important aspect of America and New England's history.

The archaeology that has been conducted at Faneuil Hall in Boston has revealed that Charlestown potters likely shipped their red earthenware into this part of Boston for distribution to the city's homeowners. I have personally seen this with quite a few sherds. The fact is - the Charlestown industry was intertwined throughout New England and elsewhere in the colonies in the eighteenth-century and its sacrifice indirectly led to America's independence in 1776.

While at the Boston Archaeology lab today, we conducted a simple comparison of glaze colors, clay color, slip color, impurities in the clay, overall form, the slip technique, the handles, the rounded footed base and the slightly inverted base; whereas, the pot was compared to a number of examples of Charlestown-made pottery excavated in the 1980s when the archaeology of the Big Dig happened on Charlestown's waterfront. Many of the artifacts we used today were uncovered from privies at the Three Cranes Tavern, which was originally built as the Great House for Governor John Winthrop in the seventeenth century; other artifacts that we used were found at the actual site of the Parker Pottery (Ca. 1714-1755) and the Harris Pottery (Ca. 1755-1775) in Charlestown. This archaeological site is actually called the Parker-Harris Pottery because two successive businesses used the land; the Parkers produced red earthenware circa 1714-1755 before the Harris family purchased the Parker Pottery around 1755 and continued pottery production into the 1770s before it ceased production sometime before the Battle of Bunker Hill or possibly the Intolerable Acts.

We believe this pot was possibly made at the Parker Pottery between 1735 and 1755; the attribution is based on similar glazes and slip techniques found in a privy at the Three Cranes Tavern with that type of context (see below for examples), as well as artifacts, which were collected at the site of the Parker Pottery.

The reason the Parker Pottery is suggested for this date is because it was the most prominent businesses in Charlestown during this period and sherds collected at the Parker Pottery site in a similar context have shown a similar slip technique; although, it is possible that another Charlestown business may have been producing similar pottery with a similar decoration during this period, as well.

Notes: Here is a link to an article that I first published on this website, where this pot is first identified as a product from Charlestown, Massachusetts before it was sold in Gardiner, Maine on November 22, 2014

Here is also a link to the article that recaps the sale of this object in Maine.

An Important Pot Visits Boston Archaeology Department

 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Lidded Pot

Attributed tot the Industry in Charlestown, MA 

Possibly Made at the Parker Family Pottery

Likely Circa 1735-1755

The Pot was Reportedly Found in a Home in Winchester, MA in 1976

The Pot also Reportedly Has Ties to Nina Fletcher Little
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, MA

 View of One of the Handles
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, MA

 View of the Lid
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, MA

 Another View of the Lid
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, MA

 (Right) Chamber Pot Excavated at the Three Cranes Tavern

The Pots Share Very Similar Glazes, Ovoid Forms and Footed Bases
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup & Boston Archaeology Department

(Right) Handled Pot Excavated at the Three Cranes Tavern

The Pots Share Very Similar Slip Techniques
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup & Boston Archaeology Department

Note: We carefully examined the pot today for any unique characteristics that may allow us to tie this pot to a specific potter or at the least, the Charlestown industry - and, what we found was a single finger print. Boston City Archaeologist, Joe Bagley is actually in the process of scanning a number of red earthenware artifacts found in the privies at the Three Cranes Tavern for finger prints left in the clay when the potter was throwing the vessel. In time - we may be able to match this single finger print to other finger prints found on similar vessels at the Three Cranes Tavern, as well as artifacts recovered at potter's sites in Charlestown.

Finger Print Found on Pot

 The Finger Print Left on the Pot

Can You See It!?
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, MA

Take a Look at this Picture!
The Finger Print Left on the Pot is Seen in the Middle of the Circle
Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, MA

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

Important Report: My Recent Discoveries in Merrimacport, Massachusetts Related to the Potter, William Pecker and His Family

Since last June, I have discovered a number of important artifacts from William Pecker's place of operation in Merrimacport, Massachusetts related to his stoneware production. And since then, proof of this operation has continued to emerge after each passing storm, which churns and stirs the waters of the Merrimac River that Pecker's business was located directly beside. Artifacts have included plain salt glazed sherds, Albany glazed sherds, cobalt (blue) decorated sherds, sherds with hand-drawn incised decoration, handles, rims, bases, wasters and kiln furniture; however there has not been any indication of a stoneware kiln. The reason for my interest in this single fact is simply because stoneware and red earthenware were fired at two separate temperatures; stoneware is traditionally fired at temperatures that exceed 2,000 degrees and red earthenware is fired at lesser temperatures. My belief is that traditional bricks used for a red earthenware kiln (from local clays) could not sustain the temperatures Pecker needed to successfully fire stoneware - and therefore, special bricks and clay were needed, which were likely imported possibly from the same source the potters in Charlestown, Massachusetts used. My belief is that Pecker owned and operated two kilns; one for his red earthenware products and one for his stoneware products. My belief is also that Pecker may have operated multiple red earthenware kilns at once with a single stoneware kiln.

The Shore in Merrimacport, Ma Where Pecker Operated Beside

My Belief is that Pecker Operated Multiple Kilns that Looked Down on this Area

A Kiln Brick that Was Recently Exposed from the Recent Storms

This Kiln Brick Was Left As-Is

It's the Job of a Professional Archaeologist to Pull Artifacts from the Ground

Yesterday, I walked the shore in Merrimacport directly below (up a hill) where I believe Pecker once operated multiple kilns - and I was shocked to find four "stoneware" bricks. Each brick appears to have kiln waste still attached and they also appear to have retained part of a salt glaze that was thrown into the kiln while stoneware cooked. These bricks are likely remarkable proof that Pecker indeed operated a stoneware kiln in Merrimacport around the turn of the nineteenth-century. I have heard many theories why a handful of Pecker signed stoneware jugs and crocks exist today; everything from he traveled to New York City to experiment and even other ideas. Truthfully, Pecker produced stoneware in Merrimacport, Massachusetts; although much less is known about this operation today when compared to his red earthenware production. I also believe Pecker did not stamp many of his stoneware forms and as a result, surviving examples may be mistaken for other makers today. Stoneware bricks are a first for me: I have never seen stoneware bricks before - so you can imagine my excitement when I made these discoveries yesterday.

Turn of the 19th Century Stoneware Kiln Bricks from Merrimacport, Ma

All Likely Related to William Pecker's Stoneware Business

They Were Collected Yesterday on the Shore of the Merrimac River

Recent storms pulled many artifacts related to the Merrimacport operation from the nearby hill and from the river bottom into plain sight yesterday. Below are many examples of kiln furniture that I found - and a sample of the newly discovered stoneware sherds.

Turn of the 19th Century Stoneware Kiln Furniture from Merrimacport, Ma

All Likely Related to William Pecker's Stoneware Business

They Were Collected Yesterday on the Shore of the Merrimac River

Turn of the 19th Century Stoneware Sherds from Merrimacport, Ma

All Likely Related to William Pecker's Stoneware Business

They Were Collected Yesterday on the Shore of the Merrimac River

William Pecker is almost entirely known for his red earthenware today; below is the pile of sherds I collected related to this operation. Interestingly, the sherds and wasters range from thickly potted products to more refined wares. The range of glaze colors is not common knowledge with most people today that understand Pecker's red earthenware. Kiln furniture is also represented in this latest pile.

Possibly 18th and 19th Century Red Earthenware Sherds, Wasters and Kiln Furniture

All Were Collected at William Pecker's Place of Operation in Merrimacport, Ma

All Were Found on the Shore of the Merrimac River

I have plenty to write about in regards to this subject; however I will end the discussion today on this pair of discoveries. These are colonial bricks from the eighteenth-century. They are huge! The brick seen on the left is a kiln brick. There was a business that preceded Pecker's operation in Merrimacport that dates before the American Revolution. The operation was run by the Dodge family - and it is where Pecker apprenticed for a number of years before he began his own operation around 1790. These bricks may represent that earlier business. They were both found on the shore of the Merrimac River in Merrimacport about a hundred yards (maybe more) from where I found all the stoneware and red earthenware artifacts. These are certainly interesting to see!

Large Red Earthenware Bricks Found in Merrimacport, Ma

Brick on the Left is a Kiln Brick

Brick on the Right Measures 5" Wide

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

Four Pieces of Pottery Uncovered in a River in Ipswich, Massachusetts

The town of Ipswich, Massachusetts has a rich early history; the past is seen through the town's early architecture, graveyards and even its early craftsmen. Colonial-made furniture from Ipswich is especially prized today. It's represented in museums around the county (Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., etc.) The colonial history is similar to that found in Newburyport, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Ipswich is located on the ocean, but it is also positioned next to a useful river system. I've always thought that most early towns and cities across America were self-sufficient in supplying themselves with their basic living needs such as farming, infrastructure and their utilitarian demands; however there is no real defined potter's history in Ipswich. This has always baffled me why there were not more potters who worked in this town. Newburyport and Portsmouth both had their own potters in the eighteenth-century - so why didn't Ipswich? There are two theories that I have surmised; 1) The potter's history in Ipswich has been lost  and 2) It's possible that the potter's who worked roughly ten miles to the south in South Danvers (today known as Peabody) and Salem, Massachusetts and to the north in Newburyport and Rowley, Massachusetts exported their wares into Ipswich in the eighteenth-century (and even some in the nineteenth-century.)

I only know of one potter's name associated with Ipswich - that being Jacob Davis, who worked in Gloucester, Massachusetts and then Ipswich from 1662-1718. As far as I know, nothing is known about Davis' work today. It's my guess that he made simple red earthenware products to supply the local needs. I also assume that any ornamental decoration was limited to basic glazes. Any use of slip decoration would have also been limited, but if slip were used - it would have been similar to what was seen in Charlestown, Massachusetts and Salem/South Danvers, Massachusetts around the same period.

With all that said, the idea of any additional Ipswich-based potters is not known; although I wouldn't rule the idea out just yet.

I saw a friend yesterday, who is a fellow collector and scholar; he gave me three pieces of of what could be kiln furniture and a red earthenware bowl that were all found in a river in Ipswich. He recently purchased them at a bottle show in New England from the person who had uncovered them. The three pieces of possible kiln furniture all appear to be from a different potter's business; two of the pieces are made of red earthenware and the third is made of stoneware. They were all likely used for tightly stacking jugs inside a potter's kiln; although I have no idea how these pieces ended up in a river in Ipswich. It's possible they were thrown in the river by a person who had collected them over the years, but it's also possible they had been deposited from an actual potter.

I have also been told these three pieces were used as bottle stoppers. Considering the form, that would also make sense.

The red earthenware bowl is hand-thrown. The clay color is similar to the smallest example of kiln furniture. The bowl doesn't appear to have ever been glazed; however the glaze may have been entirely lost from being submerged in water for decades if not longer. I have seen this happen before - so there may have been a glaze at one point. The bowl is skillfully made. The form appears like a New England-made product to me, but beyond that - I am rather stumped on the history of these four (likely nineteenth-century) pieces. They certainly make me wonder about the possibilities…!

 Likely 19th Century Red Earthenware and Stoneware Kiln Furniture or Bottle Stoppers

Seen are the Bottoms 

Likely Used for Stacking Jugs Inside the Potter's Kiln or Sealing Bottles

These Were all Found in a River in Ipswich, Ma

 These are the Tops

 Likely 19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Found in a River in Ipswich, Ma

Stands 3" Tall

Measures 7 3/4" Across at the Widest Spot

Base of the Bowl

Please Stay Tuned…Much More to Come...