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For generations, East Liverpool was to the American ceramics industry what Pittsburgh was to steel and Detroit was to automobile manufacturing. From the mid-eighteenth century until the 1930s, East Liverpool reigned over the nation's ceramics production as "America's Crockery City." Although the ceramics industry declined steadily in the mid-twentieth century, the area's citizens remain proud of their role in molding this distinctive American industry.
But by the late 1830s, entrepreneurs began to realize that the area's abundance of clay and coal could bring financial success to those who could use the Ohio River to ship large amounts of pottery to the growing markets for locally manufactured products.
The first of these entrepreneurs was English-born James Bennet, who in 1839 established the town's first pottery with the help of his brother and other skilled craftsmen. Although the operation moved to Pittsburgh in 1844, other local entrepreneurs emulated Bennet's success. The skill and energy of potters such as Benjamin Harker, William Brunt, Jabez Vodrey, Thomas Croxall, William Bloor, and John Goodwin carried the I industry through its infancy. I The immigration of pottery I workers from England's I Staffordshire district proI vided skilled labor, as well I as the expertise to open new works. Concentrating | exclusively in the produc| tion of yellow ware and | Rockingham pottery, for | which the local materials I were most suitable, East | Liverpool potteries cemented | their advantageous position I in the emerging American crockery industry.
As a result of these changes, the late nineteenth century was a time of tremendous prosperity in East Liverpool. By 1900, the town was known as "America's Crockery City," the center of U.S. pottery - a title it would hold for decades.
East Liverpool was a one-industry town. In 1900, more than 90 percent of East Liverpool's industrial wage earners were employed in the manufacture of ceramics.
The industry's impact, however, was not limited to population. Between 1870 and 1910, the city experienced tremendous physical growth. With prime locations along the Ohio River already claimed, new potteries were forced to locate in outlying areas, expanding the city's boundaries.
The renovated museum's solid-oak trim, ornately decorated domed ceilings, and beautiful marble-and-terrazzo floor provide a stunning backdrop for its exhibits. Displays include an extensive array of wares produced by East Liverpool potteries in their heyday, as well as dioramas showing how ceramics were created. Other exhibits depict the growth and development of the community and the lives of its people.
Among
the
museum's
most
prized pieces are examples of Lotus Ware,
which was produced by Knowles, Taylor, and Knowles for only a few years
during the 1890s. Noted for its pure-white lustrous finish, graceful
shapes, and exquisite detailing, Lotus Ware is
considered by some to be the finest ever produced in the United States.
On May 31, 2008, the Museum of Ceramics lost 93% of funding from the Ohio Historical Society (OHS). After 28 years as a fully-funded site of the OHS, it is now managed by the Museum of Ceramics Foundation. Efforts to find new alternative sources of support are ongoing. Every donation is greatly appreciated.