1925: HAMILTON TOWNSHIP'S HISTORIC "CLAY PITS"

Did you know that the Hamilton Township Public Library is located in an area once known as "Dogtown?"
The Morton Tract is also included as being part of Dogtown as was the fabled "Clay Pits" in the area of Kuser Road and White Horse-Mercerville Road. Back in the early 20th century, there was a very profitable business conducted there, selling clay to the many potteries in Trenton, and indeed, locations far removed from the Dogtown area. The fascinating article will tell a pretty detailed story. 

1891: THE MADDOCK POTTERY

This interesting photo is from an 1891 booklet of Trenton area photos entitled, "TRENTON ILLUSTRATED." Some of the photos in that booklet are incorporated in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection. The Maddock family includes numerous notable persons historically and socially.

THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HELPED IDENTIFY MY UNKNOWN POTTERY

Some time ago, I posted the photo below, with a note that I had no idea of which Trenton pottery it was. Thanks to the two "anonymous" comments which appear below the photo, the identity and location is now known. Thanks to all who brought the old factory into the 21st century for future historians.

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.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, Im a old factory /railroad buff. I believe this is the earliest building at the maddock/lamberton works.The shed to the left has letters KS "Lamberton works" which would be advertising to the boats as the came down the canal near lalor st. Only a handful them called them self works.So looking at a 1905 tax map the building has the same footprint as the photo.However the rate at which they expanded back then the maps shows a duplicate building to the left where the sheds are.The people are facing the D&R canal.Behind it would be landing street. BUT...I could be wrong?
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/11622/Plate+011/Trenton+City+and+Princeton+1905/New+Jersey/

Friday, July 16, 2010

Anonymous said...

Hi, me again I Googled Thomas Maddock of Trenton and found an old picture of him. The 2 on the left look to be him or his sons.Also from the maps I can find the building is not on 1890s map and looks to have been added to in 1905.-Glenn

Friday, July 16, 2010

Anonymous said...

This photo is in the pottery display at the Trenton City Museum in Ellarslie Mansion on the second floor. The description says "The Providential Tile Works c. 1880" The photo comes from the Trenton Free Public Library, Trentoniana collection.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Bill K said...

Hi , Tom
This is Providential Tile Works from what i have learned after many weeks of tracking it down after seeing the picture on your site.

It was located on Enterprise ave in trenton, Near cherry st.

And i cant be certain but if you check the picture you have of the swimming hole at Nottingham way and Clinton ave from Circa 1930. I think the smoke stacks in the background may be from the old factory , they are in just about the right location and match the shape and number of stacks...Maybe ..just maybe .take a look and see what you think .

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

1913: MADDOCK POTTERY EXPANDING

Back during Trenton's heyday as a national pottery center, there were pottery kilns located all along the D&R Canal. Maddock was one of the more prominent potteries, specializing in sanitary ware. Correct me if I am in error, but the American Standard and Sanitary Company in Hamilton was an offshoot of the Maddock company.

Tom,
Happy 300K-hits! In the 1850s, Maddock set up shop at Perry and Carroll streets and began marketing his tableware and tiles along the East Coast. If not the equal to Staffordshire pottery, Maddock pottery
was strong, craftsmanlike and cheap, and it became a national brand name. Maddock really found his niche in 1874 by branching into a new field, sanitary ware, which is basically a nice term for toilets. Soon, with Maddock at the forefront, Trenton was making more than 80 percent of the nation's bathroom fixtures. http://capitalcentury.com/1923.htmlBy SJBill 

THANKS, BILL. THANKS ALSO FOR THE LINK TO MADDOCK IN "CAPITAL CENTURY."
TOM

1905: JOHN MADDOCK, MADDOCK SANITARY WARE

The engraving above shows the Thomas Maddock Pottery Co. which was located on Perry and Carroll Streets in Trenton. It morphed into American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Company over in the Cornell Heights area.