Next Talk, February 2027: Hews Pottery, Golden Ball Tavern Museum in Weston, Mass.

For those who have asked when I will be speaking next - it will be at the Golden Ball Tavern Museum in Weston, Massachusetts, in February 2027. See below for more information. 

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The Hews family pottery was founded in 1765 by Abraham Hews (1741–1818) along the Boston Post Road in Weston, Massachusetts, initially operating as a modest family craft shop. During its first century in Weston, the pottery produced essential everyday red earthenware—such as milk pans, porringers, mugs, and chamber pots—for local residents using clay hauled from neighboring towns. A major piece of history that survives from this early era is Abraham Hews's 1780–1794 account book, which is owned by the Baker Library at Harvard University and documents the shop's daily transactions and craft output. Passed down through generations of the Hews family, the business proved remarkably resilient compared to other early New England red earthenware shops, eventually pivoting in the 1860s toward manufacturing flowerpots and related wares as changing household tastes reduced demand for traditional utilitarian pottery.  

In 1871, Abraham Hews's great-grandson, Albert Horatio Hews (1844-1904), relocated the operation to North Cambridge to be directly adjacent to abundant, high-quality clay pits and major railroad lines. Operating as A.H. Hews & Co., the factory capitalized on mechanized pot-making equipment and grew rapidly, expanding its output from 800,000 pieces a year to roughly seven million pieces by the early 1890s, making it the largest flowerpot manufacturer in the world. Beyond introducing the modern flat-collared, stackable flowerpot in 1890, the North Cambridge plant also produced ornamental jardinieres, hanging baskets, and celebrated American art pottery. Although family ownership ended after Albert Horatio Hews's death in 1904, the company continued operating in Cambridge for decades until competition from inexpensive plastic pots led to its closure in the 1960s.  

Author and researcher Justin W. Thomas will explore the history of this pottery in detail during a special presentation at the Golden Ball Tavern Museum in Weston on Tuesday, February 23, 2027. Drawing on new findings from his forthcoming two-volume work—his tenth book, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts—Thomas will share fresh insights into the company’s production in both Weston and North Cambridge. The talk will feature an examination of Abraham Hews’s daybook, local archaeological discoveries, and surviving red earthenware held in major private and public collections such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Abraham Hews' Circa 1780-1794 Potter's Daybook - Weston, Mass.

Photo Courtesy: Baker Library - Harvard University

Feature Story Published in the March 17, 2023 Issue of Antiques And the Arts Weekly

The Abraham Hews Pottery Of Weston & North Cambridge, Mass.

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

The "A. Loomis" Jug: Perhaps A Western Massachusetts Case Study

This is an object that will be discussed in Chapter 1 of my forthcoming eleventh book, A Monumental History: Stories of Red Earthenware Production in Western Massachusetts, the Berkshires, and Vermont.

"...This nineteenth century red earthenware jug, possibly from New England and dating to roughly 1820–1850, features the hand-inscribed name "A. Loomis." The inscription was carved into the clay during manufacture prior to firing, as evidenced by the glaze pooling smoothly inside the recessed letters. Because no documented New England red earthenware potter carried this name during the nineteenth century, the mark may identify a custom-order buyer—such as a local farmer, tavern keeper, or merchant—rather than the maker. However, because many members of the Loomis family in the Connecticut River Valley were farmers, it is also possible that A. Loomis practiced the region's traditional nineteenth century farmer-potter lifestyle, much like Hervey Brooks of Goshen, Connecticut (see Chapter 3).

A Western Massachusetts origin fits this piece well, as the Loomis family was one of the largest and earliest-established families in the Connecticut River Valley. Descendants of Samuel Loomis (1628–1689) settled in Westfield around 1672, making Hampden County—especially Westfield, Southwick, Granville, and West Springfield—a major hub for the family throughout the 1800s. In local records from this era, "A. Loomis" could refer to any number of residents sharing common family first names like Abner, Amos, Asa, Austin, or Albert, most of whom earned their living on multi-generational family farms. 

Alongside raising livestock and staple grains, these valley farmers cultivated lucrative regional cash crops like broomcorn and broad-leaf tobacco, while maintaining apple orchards to press the hard cider that served as rural New England's everyday beverage. As towns like Westfield—famous as the "Whip City"—expanded into manufacturing centers between 1820 and 1850, other Loomis men branched into local trades such as carriage-whip making, cigar manufacturing, blacksmithing, and running general stores, while regularly serving their communities as town selectmen, church deacons, and militia officers. 

Among these individuals, Austin Dickinson Loomis (1828–1904) is of particular interest. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to Deacon Austin Loomis (1789–1872) and Hannah Dickinson (1797–1850), he worked as a farmer in the town, as recorded in the 1860 through 1880 Federal Censuses. Alongside the Loomis name, he carried the prominent Dickinson surname—a family connection explored further in Chapters 9 and 14..."

Note: For additional information about the Dickinson family - see a feature story I wrote published on page 14 of the April 3, 2026 issue of Antiques And The Arts Weekly, titled, "Florence B. Dickinson's Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jar From Vermont": https://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2026/03/new-published-feature-story-in-antiques.html.

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Inscribed "A. Loomis"

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Photo Courtesy: Private Collection

Another View of the Jug

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Photo Courtesy: Private Collection

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

Tracing the "Watchspring" or Spiraled Motif: From Early Coastal Massachusetts Red Earthenware to Southern Connecticut

While the exact origins of the motif remain open to debate, the "watchspring" or spiraled design—well known on stoneware from Manhattan, the Hudson River Valley, New Jersey, and southern Connecticut—actually makes its earliest appearance in America on red earthenware. Specifically, examples dating to the 1687–1709/10 period were recovered at the pottery site of James Kettle (1664/65–1712) in Salem Village (now Danvers), Massachusetts. These archaeological artifacts are preserved today at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Kettle, who had family ties to the seventeenth century Kettle and Drinker potteries of Charlestown, passed his craft down to his son, Jonathan (1696-1763). Jonathan likely worked as a potter in Beverly before establishing his own shop in South Danvers (now Peabody) in 1731. Beyond the Kettle site, this spiraled motif appears on surviving locally made red earthenware jars and pans, as well as in eighteenth century archaeological contexts across Danvers, Ipswich, Marblehead, and Salem, reflecting the work of one or more regional shops.

Decades later, the decoration resurfaced on one of the most significant red earthenware objects produced in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the 1790s—a piece directly related to a dish displayed in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/6503.

Both objects were crafted by Absalom Day (1770–1843), a New Jersey-trained potter who relocated to Norwalk in the 1790s. Because Day likely drew inspiration for this design from New Jersey and New York City stoneware, this piece stands as an important surviving example of late eighteenth century design crossing over from stoneware to red earthenware: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2022-08-05/lot-175/Scarce-18th-Century-Stoneware-Jar-w-Watch-Spring-Decoration-Manhattan-NY-or-Cheesequake-NJ/.

All of this research and more will be explored in my forthcoming two-volume, tenth book, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts.

Note: For additional information about seventeenth century red earthenware production in Charlestown - see my third book, The Dawn of Independence, the Death of an Industry: The Pottery of Charlestown, Massachusetts - https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-dawn-of-independence-the-death-of-an-industry/.

Late 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Dish

Attributed to Absalom Day (1770-1843) in Norwalk, CT

Adorned with Spiraled Designs in Slip

Inspiration for the Design Likely Came from New Jersey and Manhattan Stoneware

Measures 16 3/8" Long

See Article for More Information

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

From Wood to Clay: Identifying the Origin of a Group of Red Earthenware Animal Figures

Over the years, I have seen a small group of red earthenware farm animal figures—including cows, bulls, and sheep—surface across Northern New England and Canada. I have always suspected they came from a Canadian manufacturer, though I have never been able to pinpoint their exact origin. Interestingly, while recently flipping through John A. Fleming and Michael J. Rowan's book Canadian Folk Art to 1950 (2012), I spotted a nineteenth century painted wooden cow likely made in Quebec that closely resembles these red earthenware figures, particularly in how its paint style mirrors their glaze.

Late 19th or Early 20th Century Red Earthenware Cow

Found Years Ago in Maine

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A View of the Base

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19th Century Painted Wooden Cow

Probably Made in Quebec

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Photo Courtesy: Canadian Folk Art to 1950

Information that Accompanies the Cow in Publication

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Photo Courtesy: Canadian Folk Art to 1950

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

Thinly Thrown, Vibrantly Glazed: The Sophistication of a Handled Red Earthenware Pot

I first encountered this finely thrown, nineteenth century red earthenware handled pot more than fifteen years ago in the personal collection of Sam Herrup in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. It has always been somewhat of an enigma. While various theories over the years have suggested a Maine origin, its sheer refinement effectively rules out most northern New England production centers. Instead, the potting aligns far better with the skill of coastal Massachusetts artisans, such as the Quaker potters who produced thinly thrown wares in Bristol County between 1780 and 1830. Interestingly, the only comparable object I have ever seen was a jar sold over a decade ago in Quebec. Rather than indicating a production link to Canada, however, that jar was likely just a piece that migrated north over time.

Although I lack definitive proof, I cannot help but wonder if these mysterious objects might actually originate from Vermont. My upcoming eleventh book—co-researched with a team of scholars and titled A Monumental History: Stories of Red Earthenware Production in Western Massachusetts, the Berkshires, and Vermont—uncovers dozens of Vermont red earthenware businesses, some (or many) of which have been almost entirely overlooked by twentieth century scholarship. Central and western Massachusetts was also home to a diverse, eighteenth and nineteenth century red earthenware industry that remains largely unstudied today, leaving open the possibility that these masterfully potted pieces belong to one of these lesser-known regional traditions.

Nonetheless, adorned in a striking yellow and manganese glaze, this handled pot is truly an exceptional object!

19th Century Red Earthenware Handled Pot

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Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup

This 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Might be Related to the Handled Pot

It Sold Yeas Ago in Quebec, Canada

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Photo Courtesy: Private Colletion

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

Ohio Find: 19th Century Textured Red Earthenware Toothpick Holder or Match Safe

Yesterday in Ohio, a friend came across this nineteenth century red earthenware, hand-modeled toothpick holder or match safe. Its applied clay texture is similar to a style seen at the Speese Pottery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2012-11-03/lot-80/Rare-Ornamental-Redware-Jug-Stamped-SPEESE-SON-GETTYSBURG-PA/.

For a brief history: The Speese Pottery was a nineteenth century family-run red earthenware workshop on Seminary Ridge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, operated by Henry Speese and his son, Charles. The shop transitioned from utilitarian items like crocks and drainage pipes to novelty tourist souvenirs crafted from clay sourced directly from the local Civil War battlefield.

Note: A miniature souvenir jug made at the Speese Pottery recently sold at Gehman Auctions in Pennsylvania: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/244302721_miniature-redware-jug-gettysburg-july-1-2-3-62-ephrata-pa.

19th Century Red Earthenware Toothpick Holder or Match Safe

Found Yesterday in Ohio

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Photo Courtesy: Private Collection

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

From Red Earthenware to Salt-Glazed Stoneware: The Evolution of Pottery Production in Penn Yan, New York

Located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Penn Yan is widely celebrated for its nineteenth century stoneware production. However, a privately owned jar recently sold through Cottone Auctions in Geneseo suggests that red earthenware was also produced in the area. One side of the ovoid jar features the script "Penn Yan" inscribed in manganese, while the reverse is decorated with black-glazed brushwork possibly mimicking the cobalt designs typically found on stoneware. Production of this rare jar may pre-date the early 1830s.

For a brief history: During the mid-to-late 1800s, stoneware production flourished as a major industry in Penn Yan, New York, heavily driven by the opening of the Crooked Lake Canal in 1833. This vital new waterway allowed local craftsmen to easily import high-quality clay from New Jersey. While early operations like George Campbell & Justus Morton began around 1836, Penn Yan’s golden age truly arrived in 1854 when potter James Mantell took over the local kilns. For more than two decades, Mantell produced a wide variety of highly sought-after pieces. The finest of the Penn Yan objects were decorated with vibrant cobalt blue figures of animals, and most notably, a famous jug adorned with a Seneca Indian. However, this thriving era came to a close by the late 1870s as the canal system declined and cheap, mass-produced containers made traditional, handmade stoneware obsolete..

Nonetheless, the jar sold for $400 plus the buyer's premium: https://live.cottoneauctions.com/lots/view/1-DIVXG3/redware-jar-with-manganese-script-inscription.

Note: For additional information - see my latest two-volume ninth book, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York -  https://historicbeverly.net/product/americas-great-awakening-and-migration-the-red-earthenware-of-western-new-york/

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar from New York State

The Black Script Reads "Penn Yan"

Stands 10 1/2" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Cottone Auctions

A View of the Other Side of the Jar

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Photo Courtesy: Cottone Auctions

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