Early Potters Subject of Talk and Booksigning

Early Potters and Potteries of Delaware: Historical and Commercial Perspectives 1760-1890, a new book by James R. Koterski, will be the subject of a free talk by the author on Friday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Historical Society of Cecil County. Household possessions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries included utilitarian pottery that was formed in local and regional shops from “mud” using a potter’s wheel, and over 80 individuals were active in the First State. Some early artisans were Quakers while, beginning about 1850, several German immigrants plied their trade along the streets of Wilmington. Others were migrants and their lives can be traced across several state lines.

The book brings to life in fascinating detail the craftsmen who worked and fired clay in early Delaware. Cecil County also played a significant role in Delaware’s pottery industry. Late in the 18^th century, Henry Hollingsworth and others purchased large quantities of earthenware from Matthew Crips, a Wilmington pottery. Transported to Head of Elk, these wares were resold to local residents or became part of the Chesapeake Bay Trade. Several factors influenced the success and failure of these shops, including the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson’s Embargo of 1808 and the Panic of 1837. However, in the end, market forces and new technologies led to the demise of the local pottery. Products fashioned from tin, widely available glass containers and finer and more decorative clay products replaced simple earthenware and stoneware. Yet millions of hand-thrown pieces, fired in Delaware’s kilns, had served an extremely important function in eighteenth and nineteenth homes.

Retailing for $30.00, this quality, hardcover volume will be of special interest to local history enthusiasts. After the talk, the author will answer questions and sign books. The Society is located at 135 E. Main Street in Elkton. For additional information e-mail history@cchistory.org.