1866: TRENTON POTTERY INDUSTRY

This fascinating article from post Civil War Trenton really spurred my imagination. Could it be that the clay that was shipped to a Michigan pottery be from Hamilton's historic Clay Pits? The fact that the clay was shipped out of state begs the question: Was the clay from the Hamilton Clay Pits also sent to Steubenville Ohio, which was also a pottery center? Perhaps there will be another article on the subject. I will keep searching.

1897: POTTERY INDUSTRY IN TRENTON

My father and his brother and sisters came from the little town of Stoke in Great Britain, to the pottery city of Trenton in 1914 or 1915. Along with Steubenville, Ohio, Trenton was a thriving pottery center, turning out pottery of nearly every type, from the finest porcelain to sanitary ware. The article above gives an idea of the depth of the industry in the Trenton area. Huge kilns lined the canal along today's route one-Trenton Freeway. They're all gone now, victims of social and economics conditions with which we are all familiar. Today, when one looks for the Hallmark on a lovely piece of Lenox, one reads "Made in China" rather than the hallmark that was proudly imprinted in the glory years of the Trenton pottery industry, "Made in U.S.A."

1891: FROM THE "POTTERIES, TRENTON" FOLDER: JOHN HART BREWER: MASTER OF BELEEK POTTERY

The man written about above was one of the reasons Trenton became a center of fine porcelain china back in the heyday of the pottery industry in the city of Trenton. When I was a younger man, I remember seeing all those conical brick pottery structures that lined the New York Avenue area of East Trenton. Mr. Brewer went on to establish the Ott & Brewer Company, known around the world for fine china.

1894: TRENTON'S POTTERY INDUSTRY

This is a portion of the front page of an old Trenton Times, the article on potteries being of interest. To my friend Alan Wildblood, there's another of your relatives in the shaded area.

NO DATE, NO IDENTIFICATION

HOW SAD THAT FOLKS FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF TRENTON'S EMERGENCE AS A POTTERY TOWN DIDN'T IDENTIFY AND DATE THEIR BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHOSE POTTERY THIS MIGHT BE. PERHAPS THERE IS A POTTERY HISTORIAN WHO MIGHT RECOGNIZE THE PLANT.

1870: TRENTON POTTERIES LISTED

TRENTON AND STEUBENVILLE OHIO BECAME VERY FAMOUS POTTERY TOWNS IN THE 19 TH AND 20TH CENTURIES.

1880: TRENTON'S BURGEONING POTTERY INDUSTRY

MY FATHER AND MY AUNTS AND UNCLES CAME FROM THE STAFFORDSHIRE AREA OF GREAT BRITAIN BACK IN THE EARLY PART OF THE LAST CENTURY TO WORKD THE MANY POTTERIES THAT WERE BEGINNING TO BLOSSOM ALONG THE CANAL IN TRENTON. THEIR HOME TOWN OF STOKE ON TRENT WAS A MAJOR POTTERY CENTER.

A TRENTON POTTERY: THAT'S ALL WE KNOW

One of the most frustrating occurrances in the life of an historical researcher is finding an exquisitely clear photo from over 100 years ago, only to find that the picture has no identifying information as to "the five W's," who, what, when, where, and why. If any viewer knows with certainty any of the "W's," your input will be very welcome.