The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 7

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "Nathaniel Foster built a redware shop in North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth), Maine in 1840 on the corner of Main and Elm Streets (see this article for location). Foster is known to have been in the earthenware business as early as 1831. 

Foster may have also come from Exeter, New Hampshire, as he had married Rebecca Swasey (Swasey Pottery) from that town. His sons, Benjamin and William, were his assistants. After his death in 1854, his sons ran the pottery (until 1878)."

In the later period, this pottery turned out a great many flower pots, which they sold to Kendall & Whitney of Portland, Maine."

New England author, Louis Clinton Hatch described the activity at 'Kendall & Whitney' in his book, 'Maine: A History: Volume 4,' which was published by the American Historical Society in 1919; "Ammi Whitney and Hosea Kendall formed a partnership in Portland, Maine in 1858 under the firm name of 'Kendall and Whitney' (note: this business was still in operation when this book was published in 1919).

The firm deals in agricultural equipment and supplies of all kinds, and it is one of the largest in this line of business in all of New England."

Through research, I have found that 'Kendall & Whitney" purchased wholesale orders of red earthenware and stoneware from various Maine potters; although, the red earthenware appears to have been entirely purchased through the industry in North Yarmouth, Maine, which is about ten-miles north of the city. The stoneware appears to have been purchased exclusively through the local stoneware industry in Portland, where it was also often stamped 'Kendall & Whitney / Portland, Maine.'

Illustrated in 'Kendall & Whitney's' annual catalog from 1882 are fancy garden urns that were made at the Portland Stoneware Company in Portland. However, the firm also advertised, "the Philadelphia Lawn Mower, a huge assortment of garden, flower and field seeds, Bate's folding plant protector, various weeders, tree pruners, various trellises, the Buckeye Mower, various plows, a cider mill, an anvil, a fan mill, the Davis Lawn Rake, flower pot brackets, a clothes dryer and a standard kitchen press."

Note: The following billhead shows the size of the 'Kendall & Whitney'  building, where there was obviously a huge operation happening in the 1800's.

1894 Kendall & Whitney Billhead - Portland, ME

1894 Kendall & Whitney Billhead - Portland, ME

The Firm was Established in 1858

Notice the Size of the Company's Building in Portland, ME

The Foster Pottery in North Yarmouth, ME Made Flower Pots for Kendall & Whitney

Courtesy: eBay

1882 Kendall & Whitney Annual Catalog - Portland, ME

1882 Kendall & Whitney Annual Catalog - Portland, ME

Cover Page

Courtesy: eBay

 1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Page 1

Courtesy: eBay

  1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 2-3

Courtesy: eBay

  1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 4-5

Courtesy: eBay

 1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 6-7

Courtesy: eBay

  1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 8-9

Courtesy: eBay

  1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 10-11

Courtesy: eBay

  1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 12-13

Courtesy: eBay

 1882 Annual Kendall & Whitney Catalog - Portland, ME

Pages 14-15

Courtesy: eBay

I was surprised when I visited the Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society last week in order to study the museum's red earthenware sherds, which were recovered years ago by Maine antiques collector, Chris Havey. The sherds are all related to the North Yarmouth potter's industry, circa 1791-1890; however, what struck me about this collection was the variety of flower pot forms.

Traditionally, my experience has been that most New England potters stuck to a few different forms when they produced flower pots in the mid-to-late-nineteenth-century. But, the small sample of North Yarmouth flower pot sherds revealed that there were at least five different rim styles produced in North Yarmouth; although, I would estimate that this number could be multiplied based on the number of flower pots that were likely ordered by only 'Kendall & Whitney' in Portland.

The manufacture of flower pots also appears to have been a way that the North Yarmouth potter's industry was able to sustain itself in the 1870's and 1880's; however, I suspect that other forms were also produced, which were probably related to the dairy and garden industries.

Note: There are many basic nineteenth-century terracotta-style or unglazed red earthenware flower pots, which survive today that are often attributed to England. On the contrary, almost every basic example that I have seen in New England is from an American potter even if it is labeled with an English attribution.

Flower pots were a major source of production for many potters in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-centuries, which enabled potters to remain employed in the American potter's industry. The industry had evolved, where trends had forced the common utilitarian red earthenware potter out-of-business, but a demand grew for garden wares in the Victorian Era, which extended into the early-twentieth-century. This demand gave some potters the opportunity to transform their company's output, which catered to the current demands of the market.

Flower Pot Sherds from North Yarmouth, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Flower Pot Sherds Recovered in North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to the Local Industry

Possibly Made at the Foster Potter 

Circa 1860-1890

Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

19th Century Red Earthenware Flower Pot Sherds Recovered in North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to the Local Industry

Possibly Made at the Foster Potter 

Circa 1860-1890

Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

19th Century Red Earthenware Flower Pot Sherd Recovered in North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to the Local Industry

Possibly Made at the Foster Potter 

Circa 1860-1890

Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

19th Century Red Earthenware Flower Pot Sherds Recovered in North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to the Local Industry

Possibly Made at the Foster Potter 

Circa 1860-1890

Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

19th Century Red Earthenware Flower Pot Sherds Recovered in North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to the Local Industry

Possibly Made at the Foster Potter 

Circa 1860-1890

Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

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

The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 6

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "Potteries in North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth), Maine were established in the eighteenth-century. The first was built at Yarmouth Corner (see yesterday's story) in 1791 by John Thomas (1754-1843), a native of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Thomas built his pottery on the west side of Main Street (West Main Street).

Thomas worked in Yarmouth throughout his lifetime, and after his death, his business was run by his children, Samuel Thomas and William Thomas (they also likely previously worked for their father).

The business was then sold around 1850 to Joel Brooks, a potter, who eventually tore down the old building and rebuilt the business."

To my knowledge: the Thomas Pottery is a business that is not known today despite having produced red earthenware for more than fifty-years. Undoubtedly, pottery from this business survives today, and some of it may appear to possess an Essex County, Massachusetts influence, as that is where I suspect Thomas had trained prior to his arrival in Maine.

Interestingly, Thomas also trained Ebenezer Corliss (1764-1853), who was the uncle of John Corliss (1792-1892), a well-known potter in the Day's Ferry neighborhood in Woolwich, Maine. From what is known today, it seems that some of John Corliss' forms may slightly resemble products, which were manufactured in North Yarmouth in the early-nineteenth-century.

According to Lura Woodside Watkins, "A pottery at Yarmouth Corner was operated by Ebenezer Corliss, who had been trained in the Thomas shop. He built his works in 1806 and ran it with George Bruce until 1850. It then passed into the hands of David Cleaves(1794-1860) and his son, Robert Cleaves (died 1885). David had come from Saco, Maine, and was Corliss' son-in-law, having married Lydia Corliss in 1818. His pottery was the largest in town until it closed around 1885.

Also according to Watkins, "At the age of three, John Corliss was taken from his birthplace in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, to North Yarmouth when his family moved there in the winter of 1802. Growing up among the potteries in the town, he developed an aptitude for the craft and was no doubt apprenticed to his uncle, Ebenezer Corliss. When he was twenty-one and old enough to start his own business, he went to Day's Ferry in West Woolwich. This proved to be an excellent location, because there was a suitable bed of clay near at hand and a good market for his wares on both sides of the river."

Unfortunately, there does not appear to be much red earthenware properly attributed to Ebenezer Corliss today, either. But there should be no doubt that his production also survives since he was in business for almost forty-five years. I also want to mention that John Corliss was not the only potter to learn the potter's craft in North Yarmouth - there were definitely other Maine potters, who also learned how to run a potter's business here, as well.

A few years ago, I purchased a small red earthenware stew pot at a Michael March auction in Essex, Massachusetts. Michael March told me that the pot was consigned from an early home in Rockport, Massachusetts; although, the consensus among the people, who I have shown this object say it appears like an early Maine-made product.

This pot also appears like a late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth-century object, which may have been influenced by a known form that was produced in Essex County, Massachusetts in the eighteenth and early-nineteenth-centuries.

The handle on this pot is also similar to the jug that I showed a few days ago that was made at the Foster Pottery in North Yarmouth, circa 1840-1887. As a result, I believe this stew pot was likely/possibly made at either the John Thomas Pottery or the Ebenezer Corliss Pottery in North Yarmouth.

There is also a known group of Maine jugs that survive today that were manufactured with this same handle - and, most recently, one of these known jugs was sold last year by Tim Gould in Augusta, Maine, where it was attributed to the Ebenezer Corliss Pottery.

 Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Stew Pot Possibly Made in North Yarmouth, ME
Possibly Made at the Thomas Pottery or the Corliss Pottery

Recently Found in an Early Home in Rockport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

View of the Handle

Handle is Similar to a Style that was Produced at the Foster Pottery in North Yarmouth, ME

A Group of Maine-Made Jugs are also Known Today with This Same Handle

I Believe All of These Jugs were Made in North Yarmouth, ME Before 1850

Nevertheless, the Yarmouth Historical Society owns a wonderful group of objects in its storage department that were made at the Thomas Pottery, which include a skillfully-made important red earthenware bowl that was signed by John Thomas in 1836. The bowl is inscribed on the base, "North Yarmouth / October 15, 1836 / John Thomas / Aged 82." 

Incredibly, none of these objects have been discussed, written about or published in the past despite the fact that the museum has owned them since 1959. This is not the only example of signed North Yarmouth, Maine pottery that is known. But this is also an important industry (and location) in Maine that has been mostly overlooked today.

I have no doubt that all of the North Yarmouth potteries made all the traditional forms of red earthenware during the lifespan of the local industry, circa 1791-1890. The forms likely included bowls, cups, dishes, flower pots, jars, jugs, mugs, pots, pans, vases, and possibly even plates. Slip-decoration was also used in North Yarmouth, which went along with a variety of glaze colors that were created by the local potters.

Note: A prominent Maine collector once said to me, "There may have been one-hundred red earthenware potters in Maine in the nineteenth-century; however, maybe only twenty are entirely understood today. And it seems that all the Maine pottery, which exists today is forced into those twenty businesses - rather, than realizing that there were more potters, who produced similar forms and glazes in the 1800's."

Bowl Signed by John Thomas - North Yarmouth, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Made by John Thomas - North Yarmouth, ME

The Base is Inscribed, "North Yarmouth / October 15, 1836 / John Thomas / Aged 82"

Circa 1836

Measures About 14" in Diameter

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

View of the Bowl's Interior

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

View of the Base

The Base is Inscribed, "North Yarmouth / October 15, 1836 / John Thomas / Aged 82"

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

Thomas Pottery Pot - North Yarmouth, ME

  19th Century Red Earthenware Pot

Attributed to the Thomas Pottery - North Yarmouth, ME

Acquired by the Museum in 1959

Circa 1791-1834

Stands Approximately 10" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

View of the Interior

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

Thomas Pottery Pan - North Yarmouth, ME

 19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl, Dish or Pan

Attributed to the Thomas Pottery - North Yarmouth, ME

Acquired by the Museum in 1959

Circa 1791-1834

Measures Approximately 12" in Diameter

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

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

The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 5

Many of the eighteenth and nineteenth-century North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth), Maine red earthenware potteries once operated at an intersection that is located in Yarmouth, Maine today. This was likely the site, where the most red earthenware was produced at a single location in Maine for about one-hundred years, circa 1791-1890. There may have also been a time when a potter's business was located on all four corners of this intersection.

Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins refers to this location in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares,' "A pottery at Yarmouth corner was operated by Ebenezer Corliss, who had been trained (locally) in the shop of John Thomas, a native of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Corliss built his shop in 1806 and ran it with George Bruce until 1850. 

The shop then passed into the hands of David Cleaves and his son, Robert Cleaves. David had come from Saco, Maine, and was Corliss' son-in-law, having married Lydia Corliss in 1818. His pottery was the largest in town. Since it ran until 1885, it can be recalled by the older generations (before 1950) today.

Augustus W. Corliss quoted by William H. Rowe had this to say: 'Uncle David's shop was a favorite resort for the small boys, although at times he made it very lively for them with the hoop used by the potters in carrying their ware from the wheel to the drying board. The boys used to be paid one cent to sit upon the sweep of the clay mill (see below) and keep the horse going while the clay was being ground, which took about an hour - During the burning of the ware it became necessary to keep up the fire for several days and nights, and it was the custom of the young men to collect there every night and play old sledge, raffle for turkeys, or hustle for coppers.'"

19th Century North Yarmouth, ME Potter's Grinding Wheel or Clay Mill

19th Century Potter's Grinding Wheel or Clay Mill Found at the Intersection in North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to One of the Potter's Businesses in North Yarmouth, ME

There Are Currently Two of these that Survive Today from the Local Potter's Industry

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, ME Historical Society

The Intersection in Yarmouth, ME

View of the Intersection
This was Once the Location of the North Yarmouth, ME Potter's Industry

Courtesy: Google Maps

View of the Intersection
This was Once the Location of the North Yarmouth, ME Potter's Industry

Courtesy: Google Satellite Maps

View of the Intersection

This was Once the Location of the North Yarmouth, ME Potter's Industry

Courtesy: Google Street Maps

Photos of How the Intersection in Yarmouth, ME Appears Today

This was Once the Location Where Many Potters Worked in North Yarmouth, ME

The Businesses Operated Here Circa 1791-1890

This was Once the Location Where Many Potters Worked in North Yarmouth, ME

The Businesses Operated Here Circa 1791-1890

This was Once the Location Where Many Potters Worked in North Yarmouth, ME

The Businesses Operated Here Circa 1791-1890

This was Once the Location Where Many Potters Worked in North Yarmouth, ME

The Businesses Operated Here Circa 1791-1890

This was Once the Location Where Many Potters Worked in North Yarmouth, ME

The Businesses Operated Here Circa 1791-1890

This was Once the Location Where Many Potters Worked in North Yarmouth, ME

The Businesses Operated Here Circa 1791-1890

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

The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 4

Previously, the most extensive research, which has been attempted in order to identify the late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century red earthenware potteries in North Yarmouth, Maine may have been overseen by Margarett Jewell, an early-to-mid-twentieth-century antiques collector, who wrote a few articles for 'Old Time New England' about early New England potteries. 

Her 'Old Time New England' articles include a report written about the John Corliss Pottery in Woolwich, Maine, which was published in 1932 - and, also an article written about the Dodge Pottery in Portland, Maine, which was also published in 1932

Evidently, I feel it is a safe bet to say that Margarett Jewell likely helped Lura Woodside Watkins with some of her research for 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares,' especially with the Maine potter's businesses, which was a major area of interest for Miss Jewell.

Many of the Maine-made red earthenware objects that were collected by Margarett Jewell were also eventually bequested to Historic New England in the 1970's; although, some of the objects were also directly donated by Miss Jewell in the 1930's. These objects currently reside in the museum's storage facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts. But she also donated a collection of red earthenware to the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire.

I would also suggest that Miss Jewell provided some (possibly a lot) of the information about the businesses in North Yarmouth, which Lura Woodside Watkins cites in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares.' 

Interestingly, Watkins wrote in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares' that there is still a great deal, yet to be learned about the North Yarmouth potter's industry; "The record of these Yarmouth establishments covers almost a century. During that time many changes must have taken place. The examples that have been salvaged (by 1950) were no doubt made in the late period. Since three of the four shops were still running up to 1880 or later, they represent the final stage in New England redware manufacture."

This is a jug that was donated to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. by Lura Woodside Watkins, which she says was made in North Yarmouth, but there is no attribution given for a specific potter's business.

According to Watkins, "This little jug was made in North Yarmouth. It has a grayish-green glaze dotted with green. The base is inscribed 'HPB' and the words 'Wine Jug.'"

This is an object that I handled a few years ago when I visited the American red earthenware and stoneware storage department at the Smithsonian. The inscription on the base was not done by the potter - but, instead, it was likely scratched into the base by an early-or-mid-nineteenth-century owner. The fact that this object is described on the base as a "wine jug" likely means that this is how this object was used in an early context of ownership in comparison to when this jug was manufactured during the circa 1820-1860 period.

North Yarmouth, Maine Jug

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to North Yarmouth, ME

Attributed to North Yarmouth by Lura Woodside Watkins

But I Bet the Attribution was Developed by Margarett Jewell in the Early-20th Century

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

View of the Handle

Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

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

The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 3

The names associated with the eighteenth and nineteenth-century North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth), Maine potter's industry are names that are not regularly used today. The names include Brooks, Bruce, Cleaves, Corliss, Foster and Thomas - and, these were all very active (and mostly multi-generational) businesses.

However, there were other instances, where new potters emerged in North Yarmouth, and they purchased an older potter's business. There were also potters, who learned the potter's craft in North Yarmouth before they established their own business elsewhere in Maine.

I recently visited the Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society in order to study a group of red earthenware sherds, which had been recovered years ago in North Yarmouth by Maine antiques collector, Chris Havey. These sherds are currently in the museum's storage facility - but, they brought the collection out of storage when I made an appointment with the historical society, as a result of an article that I plan to write in 2017.

These are a few of the sherds that I studied last week: This green-glaze was seen throughout the collection, and it matches a wonderful green-glaze, which was applied in the southeastern Massachusetts potter's industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries. I believe this may be a direct link between the North Yarmouth potter's industry and the coastal Massachusetts potter's industry.

I have also shown a yellow-glazed red earthenware jar, which was purchased a few years ago from a Maine antiques dealer in Brimfield, Massachusetts. The dealer told me that he found the jar in a house in Maine, but he thought it was made on Long Island. I never knew how he developed such an attribution since it does not correspond with what is known about the Long Island potteries today. But I knew it was something special (because of the glaze) so I purchased it. Since that day, I have honestly always wondered if it was a Maine-made product; however, until now, I could never prove it.

Nonetheless, this exact yellow-glaze was found on sherds that I studied, which were recovered in North Yarmouth. The glaze is an identical match. The clay color is also an identical match. This may have been a glaze-color that a potter learned in Exeter, New Hampshire, where a similar color is also known to have been used in the 1800's.

The following pictures also show a similar formed jar that was recently discovered in a house in Hollis, Maine. This jar is also likely a product that was made in North Yarmouth.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to determine the exact potter's business (or businesses), which is responsible for the production of these jars and sherds. I assume there was quite a bit of overlap that happened between the various North Yarmouth potteries.

I also want to include that this is a glaze-style that was manufactured in North Yarmouth in the 1800's, where the exterior of the object is only partially glazed. The lack of a footed base on the following jars is also a characteristic found in North Yarmouth.

Note: All of this research is for an article that I plan to write for publication in 2017; however, I will continue to share information about this relatively forgotten potter's industry today.

A few months ago, there was also a jar that appears to have been made in North Yarmouth that sold at a Skinner onsite sale in Connecticut when Lewis Scranton's Collection was sold (here is a link to that object).

North Yarmouth, Maine Sherds

 Sherds Recovered in North Yarmouth, ME

Green-Glaze Matches a Glaze that wade Made in Southeastern Massachusetts

Yellow-Glaze Matches the Glaze on the Jar Below

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

North Yarmouth, Maine Jars

 (Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Probably Made in North Yarmouth, Maine

Found a Few Years Ago in a House in Maine

The Glaze-Color Matches a Sherd Shown Above

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 7" Tall

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Probably Made in North Yarmouth, Maine

Recently Found in a House in Hollis, Maine

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 6 3/4" Tall

Another View of the Jars

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

The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 2

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "A redware shop was built in North Yarmouth, Maine about 1840 by Nathaniel Foster - Foster is known to have been in the earthenware business as early as 1831. He may have come from Exeter, New Hampshire (where he may have also trained), as he married Rebecca Swasey of that town. His sons, Benjamin and William, were his assistants. After his death in 1854 they ran the pottery (until 1878)."

From notes obtained by Miss Maragaret Jewell (in the early-20th century) from Benjamin Foster when he was an old man, we learn that the Fosters  sold (some of) their wares by boat, taking a load "down east" every spring. Thus they disposed of North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth) pottery in Freeport, Brunswick, Windham, Gray and other places."

The following black-glazed pitcher was purchased a few years ago from a shop in Ogunquit, Maine; however, I asked the shop owner if they would call the dealer in order to ask where the pitcher was found. The dealer said it recently came out of a house in Pittsfield, Maine, which is northwest of some of the communities, where the Fosters would have shipped some of their red earthenware in the nineteenth-century.

Nevertheless, this is also likely another example of an object that was made in Maine with an intentionally glazed base. It has been said in the past (and published) that the Maine potter's industry never produced pottery in such a manner outside of flower pots in the late-nineteenth-century. But I have recently learned that this idea is false.

I think the biggest characteristic that likely ties this object to the Foster Pottery is a result of how the handle was constructed at the bottom terminal. In this case, the handle and finger impression match an unusual handle style that was produced at the Foster Pottery in North Yarmouth, which is also found on a jug (see below) and sherds that are owned by the Yarmouth Historical Society.  This also appears like it could be a unique style of handle for nineteenth-century American and Canadian potters.

As I have already indicated, the pitcher's base is also glazed, which is a characteristic found on some of the wares made at the Foster Pottery (see jug below). Although, this pitcher was removed from the potter's wheel with a wire, and the jug was not removed from the potter's wheel with a wire - and, as a result, these objects may represent two different potters, who worked at the Foster Pottery in the 1800's.

The form of the lid is also a known Maine style. This lid basically matches a lid found on a Maine-made red earthenware pot that I recently purchased from Limington, Maine antiques dealer, Bill Kelly in Brimfield, Massachusetts. Bill told me that the pot he discovered was just removed from a house in Otisfield, Maine (here is a link to the story that I wrote, which discusses that object).

Note: All of this research is for an article that I plan to write for publication in 2017; however, I will continue to share information about this relatively forgotten potter's industry today.

Probably Foster Pottery - North Yarmouth, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher

Appears to Have Been Made at the Foster Pottery in North Yarmouth, ME

Circa 1840-1878

Stands  7 1/4" Tall

 Another View of the Pitcher

 View of the Handle
This Unusual Handle Style Matches a Style of Handle from the Foster Pottery

 Another View of the Handle
This Unusual Handle Style Matches a Style of Handle from the Foster Pottery

 View of the Lid

This is a Known Style of a Lid that was Made in Maine

View of the Glazed Bases

Foster Pottery - North Yarmouth, ME

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug

Attributed to the Foster Pottery - North Yarmouth, ME

Circa 1840-1878

Stands Approximately 6" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

 View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

 View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

Another View of the Base

 Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

Another Look at the Handles

 View of the Jug's Handle

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

 View of the Pitcher's Handle

Another View of the Pitcher's Handle

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

The Study About the Relatively Forgotten Potter's Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine: Report Number 1

The North Yarmouth, Maine potter's industry is a subject that I have pursued for a few years now, where I have truly felt that this industry is a major missing piece as to what is known about the Maine potter's industry today. Luckily, I spent the day yesterday studying the sherds that had been collected years ago in North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth) by Maine antiques collector, Chris Havey. The sherds are currently in storage, and owned by the Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society.

I have read through the information that was provided about the North Yarmouth potter's industry by author, Manlif Lelyn Branin, which he wrote in his book, 'The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine.' It appears that all this author did was expand upon what was written in 1950 by Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares.'  Watkins had basically done all the difficult research, where she provided a timeline that discussed the various businesses, which were employed in North Yarmouth in the late-eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.

However, Branin never provided any actual evidence with the types of wares that were made in North Yarmouth. He speculated what may have been made, but he never contributed any actual proof. I truly believe that it is because of this lack of information, which was published by Branin in 1978 that this industry has been basically overlooked today.

Branin could have easily completed more research. Branin could have also have visited the Yarmouth Historical Society to view the museum's collection, but he did not. The museum owned plenty of evidence in 1978, but for some reason they were overlooked. I have also heard there are similar issues with Branin's book, 'The Early Makers of Handcrafted Earthenware and Stoneware in Central and Southern New Jersey.'

Nevertheless, North Yarmouth was arguably Maine's largest industry for the manufacture of red earthenware for about one-hundred years. This industry targeted local homes and Portland, Maine, but it also shipped wholesale orders to other areas in New England. This production has been almost completely forgotten today.

When was the last time you heard a piece of pottery attributed to North Yarmouth?! The last object that I saw was in the Hilary and Paulette Nolan Collection, which was sold by Northeast Auctions in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2004.

It appears to me that the North Yarmouth potter's industry was directly tied to Massachusetts. But it was also an industry, where potters came to learn the potter's craft.

The names associated with the North Yarmouth potter's industry are names that don't get used today. The names include Brooks, Bruce, Cleaves, Corliss, Foster and Thomas - and, these were all very active (and mostly multi-generational) businesses.

It has been said by collectors for years (and published) that the red earthenware potters in Maine never glazed the base of any object outside of flower pots, which were commonly produced in the late-nineteenth-century. I have suggested otherwise in the past, but I have been told that this idea was unlikely. However, the concept that glazed bases were not produced in Maine is completely false - throw that idea out the window (see below).

Yesterday, I saw a small group of green-glazed sherds, which matched what was said to be a unique green-glaze produced by the potters in southeastern Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries. I also saw the use of slip-decoration, where slip was used to entirely cover an object. I also saw red earthenware that had been signed - and, I even saw a potter's stamp.

The following jug is an example of the pottery that was made in North Yarmouth, which was intentionally produced with a glazed base. This jug was made at the Foster Pottery in North Yarmouth, circa 1840-1878. The Foster Pottery was a multi-generational potter's business, which was established by Nathaniel Foster in 1840, and later operated by his children, Benjamin Foster and William Henry Foster until 1878.

Note: All of this research is for an article that I plan to write for publication in 2017; however, I will continue to share information about this relatively forgotten potter's industry today.

Foster Pottery - North Yarmouth, Maine

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug with a Glazed Base

Attributed to the Foster Pottery - North Yarmouth, ME

Circa 1840-1878

Stands Approximately 6" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

 View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

 View of the Glazed Base

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

Another View of the Glazed Base

Photo Courtesy: Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society

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