A Pair of Rare 19th Century Red Earthenware Objects that Appear Like Products Produced in Buxton, Maine

This nineteenth-century red earthenware jug appeared on eBay a few months ago - it was sold by a dealer, who operated out of Contoocook, New Hampshire. Contoocook is located about eleven-miles west of Concord, New Hampshire; however, the history behind why this jug was located in Contoocook was not explained in the eBay listing. I suspect this wonderfully-glazed jug was found elsewhere in New England, and it was merely sold out of Contoocook.

Nevertheless, I believe this is probably a very-rare Maine-made jug decorated in a very-unusual glaze. The handle suggests a southern Maine potter (to me), such as the Bickford Pottery in Buxton, Maine.

The pictures show the heavy wear that this object (or artifact) sustained over the years; however, it also appears that this object remained in use despite a large amount of damage that happened around the rim. There is also heavy chipping around the body of the jug, which may have happened in transportation while the jug hung by a rope (see rope below).

Despite this object's obvious condition issues, I feel it is still important due to the very-rare glaze. Previously, this type of glaze has been loosely attributed to the Thomas Truxton Kendrick Pottery in Hollis, Maine before 1860; however, I feel this is more likely a product that was made at the Bickford Pottery in Buxton, Maine, circa 1820-1860.

A similar decorated red earthenware object sold last October at a Tim Gould Auction in Augusta, Maine - that object possessed a very-strong southern Maine provenance, and it was also attributed to the Bickord Pottery in Buxton, Maine.

That nineteenth-century handled pot was found in the basement of the Files Farm in Gorham, Maine by southern Maine collector, Rick Poore, who sold his lifelong collection of antiques through Tim Gould's auction company in 2015.

I own a very-rare bowl that appears like it could also be related to both of these objects - I plan to write about it later this week.

Red Earthenware Jug

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Likely Made in Northern New England

Very Possibly Made at the Bickford Pottery in Buxton, ME

The Handle Appears Like Some Handles that Are Attributed to Buxton, ME

Circa 1820-1880

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Glaze is Very-Similar to the Handled Pot Shown Below

 Photo Courtesy: eBay Seller cydo97

 Another View of the Jug

 Photo Courtesy: eBay Seller cydo97

 View of the Front of the Jug

 Photo Courtesy: eBay Seller cydo97

 View of the Handle

The Rope Would Have Been Used to Carry or Transport the Jug

 Photo Courtesy: eBay Seller cydo97

View of the Base

 Photo Courtesy: eBay Seller cydo97

Red Earthenware Handled Pot

19th Century Red Earthenware Handled Pot Likely Made in Buxton, ME

Found in the Cellar of the Files Farm in Gorham, ME

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 7" Tall

Sold for $850 Before Buyer's Premium in October 2015

Photo Courtesy: Tim Gould Auctions - Smithfield & Augusta, ME

 Another View of the Handled Pot

Photo Courtesy: Rick Poore - Maine

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Rick Poore - Maine

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

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar that was Discovered in a Shop in Wiscasset, Maine Last Weekend

This nineteenth-century red earthenware jar is another discovery that I made with my niece along the Mid-Coast of Maine last weekend. We found this jar in a multi-floor group antique shop in Wiscasset, Maine.

Unfortunately, I do not know this object's history; however, the size and the shape of the rim is very similar to some objects that are attributed to southern Maine today, circa 1820-1860.

The rim measures one-quarter of an inch tall, which is the exact same measurement of another rim that is seen on a red earthenware handled pot also shown below. The handled pot was found in an old house in Kennebunkport, Maine in 2015 - and, I believe it was either made in Buxton, Maine or Hollis, Maine, circa 1820-1860.

Similar rims were also produced elsewhere in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts; although, I will admit that I find it interesting to see a Maine-made object with the same form and measurements for such a distinct characteristic as a rim.

Red Earthenware Jar Discovered in Wiscasset, Maine

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Possibly Made in Maine

Recently Found in a Shop in Wiscasset, ME

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 6 5/8" Tall

Rim Measures 1/4" Tall

Another View of the Jar

View of One Handle

View of the Other Handle

View of the Interior

View of the Base

Red Earthenware Pot Found in Kennebunkport, Maine

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Likely Made in Southern Maine

Possibly Made in Buxton, ME or Hollis, ME

Found in a House in Kennebunkport, ME in 2015

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 8 1/8" Tall

Rim Measures 1/4" Tall

Another View of the Pot

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

A Great 19th Century Maine-Made Red Earthenware Object that was Recently Found in a House in Minot, Maine

I took a road trip yesterday with my four-year-old niece, Alexis to pick a number of shops located along the coast of Maine. We drove north from my house in Newburyport, Massachusetts to Searsport, Maine - and, then back home. It was a long day, but we had a lot of fun stopping at many shops and other destinations - we discovered good deals on Maine-made tinware, locally-made red earthenware, a wonderful example of North Carolina fancyware, and a nice nineteenth-century American-made chestnut bottle.

This huge likely Maine-made red earthenware pan was among our discoveries - it was purchased from Barry Freeman, who is a longtime picker in Maine.

Barry told us that he found this large pan in a house in Minot, Maine, which is a small inland community located about 45 miles northwest of Portland, Maine.

I am hesitant to provide a more specific attribution; although, I do feel that this is one of the nicest red earthenware pans that I have ever seen. It's huge! But it is also decorated with a breathtaking vibrant orange glaze that is also covered in a few green dots.

It is remarkable that this pan has remained in such pristine condition.

I also feel that the defined rim could be an attributable characteristic, as well. I do not believe I have seen this type of rim attributed to southern Maine before, so this may be a product that was made further north in Maine.

 19th Century Maine-Made Pan that We Found Yesterday in Maine
This is a Big Pan in Wonderful Condition

 19th Century Red Earthenware Pan Attributed to Maine

Reportedly Found in a House in Minot, Maine

Minot, ME is Located About 45 Miles North of Portland, ME

Circa 1820-1880

Stands 4 7/8" Tall

Measures 18 1/2" in Diameter

View of the Base

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

A Remarkably-Glazed 20th Century Vase Discovered on the Mid-Coast of Maine that was Made in North Carolina

This twentieth-century hand-thrown North Carolina-made earthenware vase was found yesterday in a small shop along Route 1 just north of Wiscasset, Maine - it was found on the second floor of the shop mixed in with an eclectic assortment of decorative products from the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries.

I had actually driven past this shop, but I decided to turn around, and further investigate. This shop was definitely worth the visit!

The faded price tag appeared like this piece had been in this shop for a while, but I cannot be certain of that observation, either.

The glaze on this vase is absolutely spectacular! The two sides of the vase demonstrate two different shades of glaze.

However, I am by far an expert on North Carolina pottery; although, from what I have read, I would probably place this piece as a product that was made during the 1920's-1940's period.

Note: These photos were taken in direct sunlight - no camera flash was used. This is how the glaze actually appears in-hand.

My 4-Year-Old Niece with the North Carolina Vase

This Photo Was Taken Outside the Shop Just North of Wiscasset, ME

 20th Century Earthenware Vase Made in North Carolina

Found Yesterday Just North of Wiscasset, ME

The Glaze is Spectacular

Circa 1920's-1940's

Stands 14" Tall

Another View of the Vase

Notice the Variation Seen in the Glaze on the Two Sides of the Vase

 View of One Handle

 View of the Other Handle

View of the Base

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

A Wonderful Form of 19th Century Red Earthenware That Was Produced in Northern New England, Circa 1800-1840

I have been puzzled by a certain form of nineteenth-century New England-made red earthenware for the better part of a decade now. This specific form of jug has done well recently at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland, as-well-as at a Tim Gould Auction in Augusta, Maine in 2011. Nonetheless, I have never been able to determine a specific attribution for any of these objects despite the fact that there appears to be a strong demand for this distinct form of jug today. I also assume that this demand is driven by the fact that some of these jugs are decorated in remarkable glazes.

Truthfully, I do own this type of jug in my private collection, but the whereabouts and identity of this potter remains a mystery to me today.

There have been many mornings, days and nights where I have picked up my jug - and, wondered where it was made, but I have never been one-hundred percent certain of the facts.

There are characteristics about these jugs that suggest the potter may have possessed a coastal Massachusetts background (or influence or training); however, these objects also share characteristics that suggest a New Hampshire or Maine attribution, as well.

With that said, I am convinced that these jugs were made in northern New England at a potter's business located in either central New Hampshire or Maine - and, I also believe these jugs date from the circa 1800-1840 period.

It is also worth mentioning that many potters trained in coastal Massachusetts (especially Essex County) before they later traveled to New Hampshire and Maine in the early-to-mid 1800's.

The form of these jugs along with the flattened rims are almost to the equivalent of some jugs that were produced at the John Corliss (1799-1892) Pottery in Woolwich, Maine, circa 1820-1880. Corliss happened to have trained in North Yarmouth, Maine before 1820, where there was a potter's industry that supported at least one-half-dozen companies in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries. Unfortunately, there has not been a lot published about the North Yarmouth potter's industry, but I am hopeful that will change in the near future.

I also know of a large collection of sherds that were recovered in North Yarmouth that are privately owned in Maine today - I am also aware of sherds that are owned by the Yarmouth, Maine Historical Society, and even more sherds that are owned by the Maine State Museum in Augusta. It is very possible that these North Yarmouth sherds may help solve the mystery behind the origin of these red earthenware jugs.

The Yarmouth Historical Society also owns a collection of locally produced red earthenware in its storage facility that has never been published or heavily studied. I am hopeful that I will be able to gain access to these collections sometime this summer.

However, the form and the manufacture of the handles found on these jugs are proportionate to handles that were produced for some jugs in southeastern Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-centuries.

I have also heard that these jugs may have been made by Peter Clark's (1743-1826) family in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, but there is no archaeological proof to support this claim; whereas, Clark was also employed in southern coastal Massachusetts before 1775 - and, that may be the link as-to why these jugs possess a southeastern Massachusetts-type of handle.

Nevertheless, here are some of the jugs that I have referenced in this article - the jugs that were sold by Crocker Farm were consigned as part of prominent collections with no historical context as-to where they were originally found. On-the-other-hand, the jug that Tim Gould sold in Augusta, Maine in 2011 was reportedly discovered in an early home in Maine.

I am hopeful that I can present more information about this specific form of jug in the near future.

Note: There is also a specific form of jar that appears to be associated with these jugs today - these jars have also done very-well at auction. The glazes that decorate these jars are similar to what is seen on the jugs below. I will try and show some of these jars on a later date.

Red Earthenware Jugs

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Northern New England

Strong Arguments Can Be Made for a Maine or New Hampshire Attribution

Circa 1800-1840

Stands Approximately 8 1/2" Tall

Sold for $977.50 in 2011

Photo Courtesy: Tim Gould Auctions - Smithfield, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Northern New England

Strong Arguments Can Be Made for a Maine or New Hampshire Attribution

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Sold for $2,875 in 2011

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Northern New England

Strong Arguments Can Be Made for a Maine or New Hampshire Attribution

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 8 3/8" Tall

Sold for $632.50 in 2010

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Northern New England

Strong Arguments Can Be Made for a Maine or New Hampshire Attribution

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Sold for $1,840 in 2009

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Northern New England

Strong Arguments Can Be Made for a Maine or New Hampshire Attribution

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Sold for $2,300 in 2012

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

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

Rare 19th Century Red Earthenware Vases that Were Produced in Merrimacport, Massachusetts

Nineteenth-century red earthenware vases made before the Arts & Crafts Movement completely took hold in New England are commonly attributed to the utilitarian potters in Vermont and Maine today. However, the Chase Pottery in Merrimacport, Massachusetts was also responsible for a number of red earthenware vases produced before the 1880's. I believe that some of the vases that survive today from this family business could be misinterpreted as an object made elsewhere or the form may also appear mysterious.

A few dozen examples from the utilitarian output at the Chase Pottery can be seen in a glass case in the Merrimac, Massachusetts Town Hall.  There are a few unglazed vases in this display that would probably be attributed to Maine today if it were not for archaeological evidence, and the local provenance that these objects retain.

Last weekend, I was picking in southern Maine, when I came across an unglazed red earthenware vase that is very similar in form to some of the objects that are on display in Merrimac. The dealer did not know what to make of this object; although, he did tell me that he found it locally in southern Maine. I initially felt this vase was probably made in southern Maine or at the Chase Pottery; however, I now feel it is a Merrimacport product since I have compared it to the other vases that are on display in Merrimac. 

I also feel the history about the potteries in Merrimacport are not completely documented today, but Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins did a wonderful job researching this area for her important book, 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares;' "The Little town of Merrimacport or West Amesbury, as it used to be called, was the location of one of the best known and longest lived potteries in Essex County, Massachusetts. The industry began in Amesbury before 1775 by Benjamin Dodge and it was carried on for almost a century first by William Pecker, who was then succeeded by James Chase, Phineas Chase and Richard Chase."

The later production is where I feel the history of the Merrimacport  potter's industry is not well documented today. Also according to Watkins, "The trend towards bric-a-brac may be observed at other redware potteries that were running in the 1870's and the 1880's. In Exeter, New Hampshire, Merrimacport, Massachusetts, Concord, New Hampshire and Keene, New Hampshire, terra-cotta vases, ewers and knickknacks were substituted for the heavy kitchenware of early manufacture."

However, I also believe that the wares made in these areas were not limited to unglazed, and often undecorated products, either like those that are documented in places, such as the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire and Historic New England's storage facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Instead, these potteries (the Chase family) obviously made undecorated products, but I feel that glazes were also still utilized, as were painted objects, as well.

The Chase Pottery in the 1870's and the 1880's was ideally the beginning of how traditional New England utilitarian red earthenware potters began to alter the appearance of their business to cater towards more formal decorative products. This type of change was seen on a larger scale by potters like William J. Walley in West Sterling, Massachusetts, and Thomas Nickerson's Merrimac Ceramic Company and Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-centuries.

I believe that if the Chase Pottery had remained in business into the early-twentieth-century that their output would have altered itself similar to the artware made by Walley and Nickerson in the early-1900's. These simple unglazed vases that are shown below would have been the beginning of that metamorphosis; however, these type of objects are instead, what is left today for the objects that were produced in the final years of Merrimacport's industry.

Note: The Chase Pottery produced a large number of beautifully glazed red earthenware objects from circa 1820-1860. This production was similar to what was happening in places like New Hampshire and Maine during the same period. However, this is a business that is not widely known today, and their products are often attributed elsewhere in New England.

Vase Found in Maine

 19th Century Red Earthenware Vase Found in Southern Maine Last Weekend

Probably Made at the Chase Pottery in Merrimacport, MA

Circa 1870's

Stands 6 7/8" Tall

 View of the Interior

View of the Base

Vases on Display in Merrimac, MA Town Hall

 19th Century Red Earthenware Vase Made at the Chase Pottery in Merrimacport, MA

On Display at Merrimac, MA Town Hall

Circa 1870's

Photo Courtesy: Merrimac, MA Town Hall

 19th Century Red Earthenware Vase Made at the Chase Pottery in Merrimacport, MA

On Display at Merrimac, MA Town Hall

Circa 1870's

Photo Courtesy: Merrimac, MA Town Hall

19th Century Red Earthenware Vase Made at the Chase Pottery in Merrimacport, MA

On Display at Merrimac, MA Town Hall

Circa 1870's

Photo Courtesy: Merrimac, MA Town Hall

I was fortune to visit a private prominent antiques collection in 2015 that is located near where I live in Essex County, Massachusetts - in this collection is a wonderfully glazed red earthenware vase that I had always assumed was made in either Vermont or Maine. It is also important to note that the vase was discovered in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which is a mill city located only a few miles to the west of Merrimacport.

I now believe that this vase was probably made in Merrimacport at the Chase Pottery in the 1860's, the 1870's or the 1880's. That attribution is based on the form of the object, which is comparable to some of the undecorated vases previously discussed. I could easily see this object attributed to Maine or maybe even Vermont today; however, this object is more proof that the wares produced in Merrimacport were a hybrid of wares that were produced by potters in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine during the circa 1790-1880's period.

This vase could also represent the metamorphosis into art pottery that I just described if the Chase Pottery had remained in business into the early-twentieth-century.

Note: Benjamin Dodge's production from circa 1770/1775-1790 is not documented today; although, it may be comparable to what William Pecker produced, circa 1790-1820.

You can search the previous articles on this website and in the New England Antiques Journal for more information about William Pecker and the Chase family.

Found in Haverhill, Massachusetts

 19th Century Red Earthenware Vase

Likely Made at the Chase Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1860's to 1880's

Found in Haverhill, Mass. Years Ago

Photo Courtesy: Private Massachusetts Collector

 Another View of the Vase

Photo Courtesy: Private Massachusetts Collector

View of the Interior

Photo Courtesy: Private Massachusetts Collector

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

A Newly Discovered Stoneware Jug that was Likely Made in Coastal Massachusetts in the Late-18th or Early-19th Century

I purchased a late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth stoneware crock (shown below in the middle) at a flea market yesterday in Essex County, Massachusetts. The dealer told me that he recently found it on Cape Code, but he felt it was made in the Boston-area, circa 1800.

The reason that I purchased this jug is the fact that it could be interpreted as an object that was made in Charlestown, Massachusetts; however, it also shares characteristics that could possibly allow for a William Pecker attribution in Merrimacport, Massachusetts, as well.

Archaeological evidence has revealed that Pecker's relatively unknown stoneware production in Merrimacport was very similar to the production that happened in Charlestown with the potters, Frederick Carpenter and Jonathan Fenton in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-centuries.

This newly discovered jug appears to be similar to jars and jugs that were produced by Fenton before 1800; although, the pictures that are shown below also reveal that this jug does shares some decorative and construction styles that Pecker utilized with his rare stoneware production.

The most noticeable characteristics, which could possibly suggest a Pecker attribution are: A) The form of the jug, B) The placement and the form of the handle, C) The placement of the cobalt decoration, and D) The amount of incised line decoration that is also found in archaeological evidence recovered in Merrimacport - although, this type of incised line decoration is also found on products made in Charlestown that are usually tied to Frederick Carpenter today.

In theory, I have always felt that William Pecker must have manufactured some stoneware that was not stamped with his known 'Wm PECKER' mark; however, that type of attribution has, yet to be properly documented today.

I feel there may be some unmarked stoneware examples made by Pecker in existence, but those unmarked examples would more commonly be attributed to Charlestown today.

Nevertheless, Charlestown (or Boston) has been the more familiar attribution for these type of unmarked object dating back to the early-twentieth-century. However - What if William Pecker also produced unmarked stoneware?

There are less than ten known surviving stoneware objects that are marked with Pecker's stamp today; although, the large amount of archaeological evidence, which I have personally recovered suggest he produced much more stoneware than only those known marked objects (five jugs and two jars).

I should also mention that similar cobalt decoration is seen around two handles found on a stoneware jar owned by Historic New England in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) attributes to the Isaac & Grace Parker Pottery in Charlestown, circa 1741-1745. Watkins found the jar in the 1930's in the basement of an eighteenth-century house in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Note: The form of the necks and the lips on the five known William Pecker jugs usually vary in form. The marked Pecker jug that is shown below may be the most detailed example known today. I believe this is the only jug that is decorated with a double-lip, which is also coincidentally similar to some stoneware jugs produced in the Edgefield District in South Carolina in the nineteenth-century.

I also want to note that Pecker owned his own stamp for the stoneware that he produced; however, there is no known evidence today to suggest that he ever used this stamp on any of the red earthenware that he produced, circa 1790-1820.

(Left) Frederick Carpenter 2 Gallon Stoneware Jug - Charlestown, Mass.

Marked 'BOSTON'

Circa 1795-1810

(Right) William Pecker 2 Gallon Stoneware Jug - Merrimacport, Mass.

Marked 'Wm PECKER'

Circa 1790-1810

(Middle) Unmarked 1 Gallon Stoneware Jug Found Yesterday at a Mass. Flea Market

Shares Characteristics with Stoneware Jugs Made in Charlestown, Mass. and Merrimacport, Mass.
Possibly Made by Jonathan Fenton in Charlestown, Mass.
Possibly Made by William Pecker in Merrimacport, Mass.

Recently Found on Cape Cod

Circa 1790-1810

Stands 11 1/2" Tall

Another View of the Jugs

View of the Handles

Another View of the Handles

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