Green Glazed Red Earthenware Sherds Recovered at the John Brown House in Providence, Rhode Island

According to the Rhode Island Historical Society, "The John Brown House was built in 1788 by merchant, patriot, politician, and slave trader John Brown (1736-1803), who was also an instigator and participant in the Gaspee Affair, (a conflict between American patriots and British soldiers that took place in Narragansett Bay in 1772). Brown and his family were some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the colonies and, then, the United States. The Browns are also the namesake of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island."

The property at the Brown House in Providence, Rhode Island has been a site of archaeological interest in recent years by students in Brown's archaeology program. The site has yielded a variety of eighteenth and nineteenth century ceramics from both domestic and European origins - whereas, those ceramics include pearlware, porcelain, earthenware pipes, transfer decorated ceramics, sponge decorated ceramics and red earthenware.

But a small group of late eighteenth or early-nineteenth century green glazed sherds may be the most significant ceramic discovery at the Brown House since the unusual variegated green glaze on these sherds appears like it could be related to a very-rare late eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware tea canister, circa 1770-1820. The tea canister was presumably made in southeastern Massachusetts and privately owned in Connecticut today. The attribution is based on the overall form of the object, the clay and possibly the glaze.

It should also be noted that the color of the clay (or the paste) on the sherds is also similar when compared to the light or pale colored clay on the tea canister. Interestingly, the sherds are also only decorated with an exterior glaze suggesting that this object was only likely used for dry goods.

It is difficult to draw any type of conclusion from such a small group of sherds; although, it is likely that these sherds were once an object that was used in the Brown household. I have also previously documented a large group of red earthenware objects from southeastern Massachusetts that are owned today by the Little Compton Historical Society in Rhode Island, which retain an early history of local ownership - it is believed that the state of Rhode Island, and communities like Providence were a major consumer for the wares made in southeastern Massachusetts - as a result, there was likely a large trade that happened between this industry and Rhode Island merchants.

Note: Here is an article that I posted last September about a group of southeastern Massachusetts objects owned by the Little Compton, Rhode Island Historical Society, as well as a few southeastern Massachusetts red earthenware sherds that were uncovered by archaeologists in Glocester, Rhode Island.

Green Glazed Sherd Recovered at John Brown House

 Late 18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Sherd

Recovered at the John Brown House in Providence, RI

Made After 1788

Found Within a Late 18th and Early 19th Century Archaeological Context

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Brown University Archaeology Department - Providence, RI

Similar Glazed Red Earthenware Tea Canister

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Tea Canister

Likely Made in Southeastern Mass., But a Rhode Island Potter is Also Possible

Circa 1770-1820

Stands Approximately 8" Tall
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Private Connecticut Collection

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

19th Century Domestic Red Earthenware Recovered at the Davidsonville Historic State Park in Arkansas, Circa 1805-1830s

According to the State Parks of Arkansas, "The site of historic Davidsonville in Randolph County, Arkansas was initially established from a few log cabins in 1815 - whereas, the town soon included the Arkansas Territory's first post office, courthouse, and land office. For about 15 years, the town was an important gathering place for local politics and commerce.

Bypassed by the Southwest Trail, an overland route from St. Louis, Missouri to the border of Mexico, the town faded by the 1830s.

Some say that an epidemic, perhaps cholera, decimated the population and led to abandonment of the town. Economic factors were probably the true case, however. The rivers, which contributed to the importance of the town, also led to its decline. The area was prone to flooding, isolating the area for much of the time.

Davidsonville would be all but forgotten if not for the establishment of a 163-acre state park. Legislation was passed in 1957 to preserve the town site, but the town site was not purchased until two years later. Today, Davidsonville Historic State Park preserves what remains of the town.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered remarkable finds of streets, foundations, and objects that tell a fascinating story of life on the Arkansas frontier following the Louisiana Purchase, 1803."

Archaeological excavations began in Davidsonville in the 1970s and they are ongoing today in an attempt to better understand the site as its role as an early county seat in Arkansas, as well as its function as a trading center.

The ceramic assemblage in the current archaeology collection consists of a large collection of imported European pottery, which suggests this was the town's preference for household ceramics; although, domestic red earthenware is also represented in the collection. It is not known if this red earthenware is from a local manufacturer - but these objects may have also originated in Missouri since Davidsonville was originally a part of the Missouri Territory. Although, archaeologists have also speculated that the domestic red earthenware found at Davidsonville may have been "made in a family-owned pottery in southern Illinois."

Nevertheless, the objects and sherds shown below represent the type of red earthenware that has been found in Davidsonville. However, I have not found any information, which would suggest that domestic red earthenware with slip decoration has been found at this site. But what I do find interesting about these artifacts is the amount of banded incised decoration found on the bottle or jug and the sherds, which are thought to be the remains of a red earthenware pitcher.

Note: I have focused some of my latest writing and recent research on nineteenth century red earthenware from the Midwest; here are links to some of those articles.

1) New Harmony, Indiana

2) Wreck of America in Illinois

3) 19th Century Privy in St. Louis, Missouri

4) Henry County, Missouri

Domestic Red Earthenware Recovered in Davidsonville, Arkansas

19th Century Utilitarian Red Earthenware Bottle or Jug

Notice the Use of Banded Incised Decoration

Uncovered at Davidsonville Historic State Park in Arkansas

Archaeology Report Suggests a Southern Illinois Origin

Circa 1815-1830s

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Davidsonville Interactive - University of Arkansas

19th Century Utilitarian Red Earthenware Sherds Possibly from a Pitcher

Notice the Use of Incised Decoration

Uncovered at Davidsonville Historic State Park in Arkansas

Archaeology Report Suggests a Southern Illinois Origin

Circa 1815-1830s

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Davidsonville Interactive - University of Arkansas

19th Century Utilitarian Red Earthenware Crock

Uncovered at Davidsonville Historic State Park in Arkansas

Archaeology Report Suggests a Southern Illinois Origin

Circa 1815-1830s

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Davidsonville Interactive - University of Arkansas

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

A Painted Centennial Red Earthenware Vase Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts

Yesterday, I posted an article that showed four pictures of a rare nineteenth century painted red earthenware vase that is owned today by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado. The vase was made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery (ca. 1866-1906) in Beverly, Massachusetts, circa 1872-1873. The vase was also marked with a rare ink stamp from the Lawrence Pottery - a stamp that I am only aware of today on two other objects, one of which is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the other is privately owned in Massachusetts.

Nonetheless, the following vase is a near exact match in form to the vase that I posted yesterday; it also exhibits a matching interior glaze, matching paint around the rim and matching paint around the base. I also attribute this vase to the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery.

Although, this was a centennial piece that was made at the Lawrence Pottery, as evident by the dates "1776" and "1876" that were hand painted on each side. But the vase is also decorated with a bust of George Washington above two crossed cannons and a cannon ball.

This vase may have also been made for the Centennial International Exhibit in 1876, which was the first official World's Fair in America that was held in Philadelphia.

I purchased this object four or five years ago from a Florida auction on a hunch that it was made at the Lawrence Pottery; however, I was not certain at the time since I did not have definitive proof (like I do now) that could tie it to the Beverly Pottery.

Interestingly, the article that I posted yesterday was about a piece of Beverly Pottery that had migrated west to Colorado and tonight's article shows a vase that traveled to Florida. This is proof of how much eighteenth and nineteenth century domestic pottery traveled from its original origin, especially the vase that I wrote about yesterday, which was likely made around 1872 and it seems to have relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado by 1873.

Note: A lot of New England antiques have traveled to Florida over the years, which is definitely a result of retirees locating, but there are also collectors in Florida, who enjoy a variety of antiques. Here is an article that I wrote in 2014 about a wonderful piece of early-twentieth century signed Dedham, Massachusetts Pottery that was found in a small shop in Florida. Here is also another article that I wrote in 2015 about the Knox Hill Pottery in Florida, but I also touched upon the idea of early American pottery that had migrated south to Florida.

Beverly, Massachusetts Centennial Vase

19th Century Painted Red Earthenware Vase Made for the Centennial in 1876

Attributed to the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Bought a Few Years Ago from an Auction in Florida

Circa 1876

Stands 5 7/8" Tall

See this Published Article for More Information About the C.A. Lawrence Pottery

See Article Above for More Information About this Vase

 View of the Hand Painted Date "1776"

 View of the Hand Painted Date "1876"

 View of the Interior Glaze

View of the Base

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

A Red Earthenware Vase from Beverly, Massachusetts that is Owned Today by a Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Last September, I posted an article about a wonderful painted nineteenth century red earthenware vase that is owned today by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado. The vase was made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery (ca. 1866-1906) in Beverly, Massachusetts, circa 1872-73; although, the vase also had a connection to the renowned poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), who was a classmate in Amherst, Massachusetts to the vase's original owner, poet and writer, Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885).

Jackson was reportedly living in Colorado Springs by 1873, and this type ancient-style production began at the Lawrence Pottery in Beverly around 1872. This is an object that she likely traveled with from New England to Colorado.

The base of this vase is stamped with a very rare ink mark from the Lawrence Pottery - in fact, I have only seen this ink mark on two other objects, where one is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the other is privately owned in Massachusetts today.

I had written last year that I had requested the museum send me better pictures of this object to use on this website - the original article only contained a single low quality image. Nonetheless, the vase was just brought out of storage this week to fulfill this request - and, the following group of images show two sides of the vase, as well as the interior glaze and the ink stamped base.

Note: Here is a link to the original article that I wrote last year about this vase, which examines the history of this object from its origin in coastal Massachusetts to its pioneering role in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Red Earthenware Vase from Beverly that is Owned in Colorado Today

 19th Century Painted Red Earthenware Vase Made in Beverly, Mass.

Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery - Beverly, Mass.

The Base is Marked with a Rare Ink Stamp from the Lawrence Pottery

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Circa 1872-73

See Article for More Information

Also See Original Article from September 16, 2016

Photo Courtesy: Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - Colorado Springs, CO

 Another View of the Vase

Photo Courtesy: Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - Colorado Springs, CO

 View of the Interior Glaze

Photo Courtesy: Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - Colorado Springs, CO

View of Lawrence's Ink Stamp that was Applied to the Base

This is a Very Rare Ink Mark to Find Today

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - Colorado Springs, CO

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

Two Wonderful Red Earthenware Objects Made by Greg Shooner Created from Locally Dug Clay in Essex County, Massachusetts

You may recall an article that I posted last summer, where I dug clay with my nephew, Jason at the site of the William Pecker Pottery (ca. 1790-1820) in Merrimacport, Massachusetts and near the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company (ca. 1763-1799) in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I had investigrated these sites in the late-fall of 2015 for usable clay - and, I discovered two clay sources that were likely used at both of these important potter's businesses. In fact, the clay source in Merrimacport was located exactly at the site of the Pecker Pottery. However, due to twentieth century construction, the clay that was found in Newburyport was located a few hundred yards from the site of the Bayley Pottery Company; although, I have no doubt that it was the same clay source that was used by this business.

After we dug the clay, we let it dry for a few days before it was boxed up and shipped to Oregonia, Ohio potter, Greg Shooner. Greg told me last summer at Dish Camp at Historic Eastfield Village in upstate New York that he was excited at the opportunity to experiment with the clay.

Truthfully, I was just as excited to see if the clay was something that could actually be used to create red earthenware just like it would have been harvested for use at the Pecker Pottery and the Bayley Pottery Company in the eighteenth and nineteenth century (note: Bayley Pottery only operated until circa 1799).

Yesterday, a large box arrived in the mail that caught me by surprise - and inside of that box I found two wonderful red earthenware objects that Greg had successfully created from the clay that I sent to him. Both objects were also decorated in a popular glaze style that William Pecker is most known for today.

The first object that I pulled out of the box was a great jug that Greg had signed and dated on the base, but he also wrote "Merrimacport Clay." The second object was a pot that Greg had also signed and dated, along with the inscription, "Newburyport Clay."

Personally, this is extremely exciting, where I was able to determine the same clay source that was used by two significant Essex County, Massachusetts potters - and, from that clay source, Greg successfully created red earthenware no different than what was made at the Pecker Pottery and the Bayley Pottery Company in the 1700s and 1800s (note: Bayley Pottery only operated until circa 1799).

Note: The Bayley Pottery was not the only potter's business located in Newburyport; although, it was probably the most successful. The Pecker Pottery ended with Pecker's death in 1820, but red earthenware production did not cease - Pecker's nephew, James Chase renamed the business and the Chase family continued to produce red earthenware into the 1880s.

Here are three articles that I had published in the New England Antiques Journal, which further discuss the variety of production that took place in Merrimacport.

1) William Pecker Pottery
2) Chase Family Pottery
3) William Pecker Stoneware

Here are also the three introductory articles that I wrote in preparation of this project about investigating for clay, and later digging for clay in late-2015 and 2016.

1) Clay Source Found in Newburyport, Mass
2) Pitts Found in Newburyport, Mass. Near Clay Source
3) Digging for Clay in Merrimacport, Mass. and Newburyport, Mass.

Red Earthenware Created from Clay Dug at Two Potter's Sites in 2016

Red Earthenware Pot and Jug Recently Made by Oregonia, Ohio Potter, Greg Shooner

The Pot was Made from Clay that I Dug in Newburyport, Mass.

The Jug was Made from Clay that I Dug in Merrimacport, Mass.
These Were the Same Clay Sources that were Used by 18th Century Essex County, Mass. Potters

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Pot and the Jug
See Article for More Information

Greg Shooner Inscribed the Base of the Jug "Merrimacport Clay"

Jug was Made from the Same Clay Source that was Used by the Pecker and Chase Potteries

See Article for More Information

Greg Shooner Inscribed the Base of the Pot "Newburyport Clay"
Pot was Made from the Same Clay Source that was Used by the Bayley Pottery Company

See Article for More Information

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

An Important 18th Century Red Earthenware Jug that is Owned by the Old York Museums in Maine

According to the Old York Museums in York, Maine, "Built in 1719, partially from the materials from the former jail dating from 1656, the Old York Gaol claims to be the oldest jail in the United States. It served as a jail at least until about 1860, then it served as a school house after 1879, only later to be restored as a museum in 1900."

It was also in 1900 when Charles B. Tower loaned an incredible black glazed eighteenth century red earthenware jug that he owned for display at the newly restored museum. I have not been able to determine Tower's relationship to the museum or the Town of York, but he may have been a local resident; although, it has also been suggested that he may have been a regular summer visitor to York, as well. Nevertheless, Tower eventually gifted the jug to the museum in 1914, and I am still trying to determine how Tower came to originally acquire the jug.

This jug was made by Daniel Bayley (1729-1792) at his pottery in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1763; he inscribed across the front of this jug, "For the Use of Mr. Noble's Church, July 10, 1763." This jug is one of the earliest dated pieces of domestic utilitarian pottery known to exist today - and, it is also the earliest example of domestic red earthenware known that can be tied directly to an American church. It was reportedly used for storing communion wine at the Fifth Parish Congregational Church in Newbury, Massachusetts (Newburyport formed in 1764).

According to the Belleville Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts, "The original meeting-house was built on Meeting-House Lane, now Noble Street and on June 22, 1762, the Fifth Parish Church was organized. The Reverend Oliver Noble was the first minister of the church from September 1, 1762 and left following some injudicious business discouragements in 1784."

But Bayley's relationship with the church can be traced today beyond just this jug - he also operated a printing press in Newburyport, where he also printed sheet music that Reverend Noble used during his services.

The history of this jug has been well-published since the mid-twentieth century, where it has been cited and/or illustrated in various publications that include local newspapers, magazines and nationally recognized books. It has also been loaned to a number of museums that include Wintherthur in Delaware.

However, I would like to focus on the form of this jug today - without the inscription, this jug would likely be interpreted as an object that was manufactured in Essex County, Massachusetts in the early-nineteenth century. Whereas, this jug now serves as physical proof for the many potters, who worked in both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, who often continued to produce similar forms no matter the year. They obviously did not worry about how this type of pottery would be interpreted two-or-three hundred years after its production.

I encountered a similar situation last summer, when an article that I wrote about Peter Clark's production in Braintree, Massachusetts and Lyndeborough, New Hampshire was published in the August 2016 edition of the New England Antiques Journal. I showed a large jug in that article that is owned today by Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, which was attributed to Clark that had been inscribed "Oliver Laurence / Lyndeborough / October 18, 1786." If it were not for the inscription, this jug would also likely be attributed to the early-nineteenth century.

Note: A characteristic that can be used to attribute this style of jug to Daniel Bayley is found on the handle terminal, where Bayley pressed two fingers to secure the handle to the rest of the jug - this is the result of Bayley only having two fingers on one hand.

Here are five additional articles about Daniel Bayley and his pottery:

1) These two articles show a Bayley Pottery jug that was uncovered within a circa 1775-1779 archaeological context at a trading post in Veazie, Maine -- Part 1 -- Part 2.

2) This article shows a nearly identical black glazed jug without the inscription that is owned by the Historical Society of Old Newbury in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

3) I also cite the exports of the Daniel Bayley Potter Company in my latest published article, which ran in the April 2017 edition of the New England Antiques Journal.

4) This article shows a pan that was made at the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company that was uncovered within a circa 1760s archaeological context in New Brunswick.

Circa 1763 Jug Made in Newburyport, Mass.

18th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Jug Made by Daniel Bayley in Newburport, Mass.

Inscribed "For the Use of Mr. Noble's Church, July 10, 1763"

Circa 1763

Stands Approximately 9-10" Tall

Loaned to the Old York Museums in 1914 by Charles B. Tower

Gifted by Tower to the Museum in 1914

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

View of the Handle with Two Finger Impressions at the Terminal

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

View of the Footed Base

 Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

 View of the Inscription

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

 View of the Inscription

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

 

  View of the Inscription

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME

 View of the Inscription

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME 

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

A Small Metallic Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapot Owned by the Old York Museums in Maine

This is a wonderful small metallic black glazed red earthenware teapot that I studied yesterday while visiting the storage facility at the Old York Museums in Kittery, Maine. Although, the maker of this teapot is currently unknown, it does retain a local history of ownership, which I believe potentially suggests a New England manufacturer. I also believe that it may be eighteenth or early nineteenth century in origin, which could also suggest that it was made in Massachusetts; however, it probably dates from the early 1800s.

The metallic black glaze is reminiscent to glazes that were created at the Thomas Crafts Pottery in Whately, Massachusetts, circa 1821-1833. But the form does not conform with what I know about this business from evidence that I have seen, which has been recovered at the Crafts Pottery site and the trash pile that had accumulated from the potter's kiln.

Teapots associated with Crafts production have been recovered in various archaeological contexts that include places, such as Salem, Massachusetts and Delaware County in Upstate New York (see 2011 edition of Ceramics in America) - the fact that teapots from the Crafts Pottery traveled makes total sense seeing that this business reportedly produced more than 2,000 teapots per year (in some years).

I did not photograph the interior of this teapot, but I did carefully inspect it, where I counted seven holes that were added by the potter to the area that the spout was attached.

Sherds from a metallic black glazed red earthenware teapot have been recovered in an early nineteenth century archaeological context in Yarmouth, Maine, which was also a location for a large potter's industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. But there is no proof that teapots were manufactured in this industry.

Note: To my knowledge, the earliest evidence of any red earthenware teapot production in New England took place with John Henry Benner (1728-1796) in Abington, Massachusetts, circa 1765-1796. The Dyer Memorial Library owns a small teapot that is attributed to Benner, which is also pictured in figure 30 in Lura Woodside Watkins book 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares.'

Metallic Black Glazed Teapot

 Early 19th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapot

Retains a Local History of Ownership

Stands Approximately 3-4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME 

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME 

 View of the Lid

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME 

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Old York Museums - York, ME 

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