Antiquing the Valley: In Pursuit of Pottery

Fall-Winter 2007
by James Putbrese

From Colonial times through the early 1900s, American potters formed heavy utilitarian vessels from stoneware. Early settlers required a variety of earthenware pots and crocks for everyday uses—from churning butter to storing homemade whiskey.

Early on, many American potters were farmers, who produced crocks in their off season. The early potter created his wares almost entirely from products available in his locale. Clay was dug from river banks, and kilns, built from local stone, were fired by wood from a nearby stand of timber. The clay was dug, loaded on a horse-drawn wagon, and taken to the potter’s shed, where it was ground in a wooden mill, usually powered by a horse, hitched to a wooden beam that traveled in circles. Some shops simply put the clay through a screen to eliminate pebbles and other foreign matter. The craft was often handed down from generation to generation, occasionally becoming a full-time business.

Many of the area's potters were quite capable of creating unique pieces. Decorations may have been added to pieces by the use of simple colors, generally cobalt blue. These designs range from simple curlicues to elaborately painted birds and other motifs. Later, stencils were used and wooden stamps carved to imprint the name of the maker into the pieces. However, most pottery was unmarked, and most potters remain anonymous.

One of the most famous families of potters in Virginia was the Bell family of Winchester and Strasburg. Few other regions produced such visually-pleasing ware. In fact, Strasburg was originally called "Pot Town", because of the significant number of potters working in the area prior to the Civil War.

While the Bell name is the most recognized among the Shenandoah potters, there are many other well-known potters. Anthony Baecher, who settled in Winchester, began manufacturing pottery in 1854. Another famous Shenandoah potter was Joseph Ederly, who developed a widely-recognized style of polychrome glazes in a plethora of colors. Other names that a collector should search for are Coffman, New Market, J.H. Kite, Elkton, J.H. Cline, Harrisonburg, Puffenbarger, and Staunton.

A recent sale at the Green Valley Auctions in Mt. Crawford offered a substantial collection of pottery. These simple crocks, made a century ago to retail for a dime, were selling in the hundreds of dollars—and in some cases, in the thousands. Collectors are finally recognizing the early Valley potters for their skill as folk craftsmen.

Many antique shops carry Valley pottery. In Strasburg, stop in at Bull Run Relics—they have an excellent selection of pottery. I would also visit the Strasburg Emporium in downtown Strasburg.

The Woodstock Company for Antiques has over two hundred crocks. I recently visited Rocky's Antique Mall on US11 in Weyers Cave and saw several Valley pieces, including a rare Mt. Crawford piece.

An excellent book for collectors of Valley pottery is The Shenandoah Pottery, by Stoudt Rice.

Article text ©2007, Shenandoah Specialty Publishing, LLC.
May be printed for personal use only.

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