February 2005 Newsletter

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Upcoming Meeting - February 3 rd 2005,

Doors Open 7:30 p.m., Meeting starts at 8:00 p.m.

Directions to the Town of Islip Recreation Center, Ronkonkoma Beach Pavilion at Lake Ronkonkoma off Rosevale Ave. (631) 467-3308

From the LIE: Exit 59, Ocean Ave North to Rosevale Ave. bear left to 1 st traffic light, turn right at light into park, left into parking lot, building is at the end on your right.

From Sunrise Highway: Exit 49 Lakeland (Sayville) continue north crossing Veterans Highway, merge w/Ocean Ave, continue north under LIE & follow the directions above.

Program - NYC & Brooklyn Brewery & Beer Items by Gary Guest

And now few words from the President (or chief bottle nut notes)

First off, let me apologize for the lack of a newsletter last month, January. Between working on Christmas Day, and on New Years Day, which really threw me off my game, in the time period between the two holidays, we shipped out our entire cyclamen crop! Yup, 40,000 plants went out the door in 4 days (Monday-Thursday), which made taking inventory on Friday (New Years Eve) a little better, but not much.... By the time I realized I was going to miss the newsletter deadline, it was already past.

Now, for some club stuff. It is time for us to elect club officers. I have a question for you. Do you want to? While I would like to see us stay a little organized, I am only one person. What about all the other members? How do you feel about it? Come on down to the meeting, and let's talk.

As it is election time, we also need people to run for the offices. Right now, all offices are open for your taking. The club has a blank slate, and it is up to you the members if you want to fill it.

A bottle show. Over the past year, several members have inquired of me if there will be a show. Here is the best answer that I can honestly give you. Laura and myself could be talked into doing the show again. As of right now, I have several leads on halls provided to me by members over the past year. There is one catch. Both of us would like the club to have officers in place for the show. We would feel rather funny putting in the work to do a show, and there is really no officers or organized club behind us. Right now, I am President, and Laura is the Newsletter Editor. People would have to replace us (this is not a bad thing, as I believe that new people bring new ideas) so that it would allow us to devote time and effort to the show project. Sorry, but cannot do it all alone.

Ok, that is enough of that, on to some other business. Dues are due. I have tried hard to provide a timely, and informative newsletter for you, the members, over the past year. I hope you have enjoyed it. Your dues help to pay the expenses of the newsletter, and the expense of having a meeting site for the club. The clubs meeting location costs us $225.00 for 10 meetings, and the newsletter cost is about $25.00 each month, or $250.00 for the 10 newsletters you receive each year. The club needs your dues to continue, as it is our sole source of funding at the present time. I am compiling a list of all paid members, so let's make sure your name is on it. So far, I have received dues from 4 members. I mail 40 newsletters, so have 34 to go (one newsletter is to the FOHBC and is a comp, and one member purchased a life membership). I do hope to see all members' names back on the clubs roster.

Send your dues to: Long Island Antique Bottle Association, 10 Holmes Court, Sayville NY 11782-2408. Any questions? Give a ring: 631-589-9027. Evenings until 9pm are best.

This month we have a nice program, which will be given by our own Gary Guest. The program will center on the New York City and Brooklyn Brewery and beer items. As some of you know, Gary is the clubs resident Brewery and beer researcher. This should be a top-notch program! Don't miss it.

And, at last, for your reading pleasure, I have an article on the stoneware industry in Brooklyn that I wrote. It will be appearing in the Federations Bottles and Extras, but you will see it first!

See you at the meeting!

Mark

The Potteries of Brooklyn

By Mark Smith

The stoneware industry in Brooklyn, at least in terms of the potters producing marked wares, and remaining in production, did not have the early start of the Manhattan potters, such as Crolius, Remmy, Morgan and Commeraw. While potters are known to have operated in Brooklyn in both the 17 th Century, and the 18 th Century, the operations tended to be very short lived, and to date, no marked examples of their wares have come to light. Perhaps this was due to the intense competition from the established Manhattan kilns, or the expense of importing much of the raw materials required to operate. In spite of being the industrial heart of the NY area even in the 19 th century, no marked stoneware is known from any Brooklyn pottery until we reach the year 1839, where we will begin.

In the year 1839 the Brooklyn City Directory lists two men employed in the potting trade, a William Beach, and a Dennis McLees. Current research indicates that William Beach was a potter in Poughkeepsie, and that Dennis McLees operated a pottery in South Amboy, NJ. Pottery with the impressed mark "D. McLees Potter/S. Amboy NJ" is known. I am blessed with a pot in my collection that is marked "D MC LEES BROOKLYN POTTERY/COR SANDS & NAVY STS". It should be noted that this pot was recovered by Mike Hoffman on a dig in Brooklyn many years ago, only a very few blocks from the corner of Sands and Navy Sts. Now, there is some speculation in the hobby on the following point. We do not know for sure if as it is generally believed, Mc Lees came to Brooklyn under the guidance of Thomas Boone to build the pottery for Thomas Boone. On the flip side, William Beach could have been sent to Brooklyn to build the kiln. We will most likely never know for sure. I tend to subscribe to the first line of thought. Since the pot bears Mc Lees name, and not Beach's, Mc Lees was in all likelihood the principle in the operation. Poughkeepsie was one of the premier potting cities on the Hudson River, and Morgan's Bank, in South Amboy, New Jersey, was the premier source of stoneware clay. Thomas Boone operated a pottery in Poughkeepsie from 1836 until he came to Brooklyn in 1840. The decoration used by McLees on the example in my collection is a classic Hudson Valley floral design, which he most likely learned at his employers business, where he learned the potting trade. Potters would as apprentices learn decorations, and wherever they would set up shop, they would employ these decorations, since it is what they know. This is shown by how many of the Hudson Valley and upstate NY ovoid pots and jugs from the 1820-1840 bear similar designs. Nathan Clark of Athens, NY was perhaps the most prolific in terms of training potters, and sending them out to set up potteries. Now, it is also very likely that William Beach, who was also employed as a potter in Poughkeepsie, decorated this pot. This too would explain the fine Hudson Valley floral decoration. In any event, this is the only example known to me at this time that is signed by Mc Lees.

Now, in 1840, both Dennis Mc Lees and William Beach are now employees of Thomas Boone. Thomas Boone as I stated above, hailed from the upstate New York city of Poughkeepsie (now, where have I heard this before, oh yes, both the Browns, and Frederick Caire are from there. They were active at Huntington L. I.). Thomas G. Boone was the first potter to set up shop in Brooklyn, producing marked pottery, and to be successful. His sons joined the firm, Benjamin R. Boone in 1842, and Thomas E. Boone in 1843. As a family business, the Boone's were able to survive until 1846, when the firm was dissolved. Yes, I know that 6 years is really not much of a long life, yet it is pretty good compared to the average life span of a pottery in Brooklyn. The production of the Boone firm was in some respects ahead of its time. In the 1840-1850-time period potters were producing ovoid and semi ovoid wares, the straight-sided forms we know had not become popular yet we see some of the straight-sided examples in the Boone's production. Jars, jugs and crocks are found with the straight sides of the later post 1850 period. The cobalt decoration as a rule is simple and somewhat primitive, even by the standards of the time. However, the family did not quit the potting business, quite the opposite! Both sons remained active in the industry, producing drainpipe, roof tile, and firebrick off and on into the 1860's, when their names no longer appear related to the potting industry. To date, no items bearing the marks of any of the firms they formed, or worked for has come to light.

Now, this brings us to one of Brooklyn's many short-lived potteries, the Brooklyn Salamander Pottery. In the year 1846, one George S. Andrews started up stoneware production at 80 Furman St. Not very much is known about the firm due to the very short time of operation. Here is a very interesting situation. It appears that George Andrews was only the owner, as in 1846 only William Beach, and Benjamin Boone are listed in the City Directory as potters. Perhaps Andrews employed them. This could well be the case, as with the Boone operation closing up, the men would be available for employment. The Brooklyn Salamander Pottery did advertise a sales office in New York City, but the firm closed up the same year it opened! I am very lucky to have an ovoid crock in my collection with the mark " G. S. Andrews/No 80 Furman St Brooklyn NY". I know of less than 5 examples from this firm.

Now, we are at the year 1847. While there are firms in Brooklyn producing stoneware, no one is marking them to our knowledge today. As such, this makes it very difficult to study them! The potting industry was relatively simple to enter in Brooklyn, and the capital required to set up a pot works was also low, and small shops came and went with abandon. It appears that while it was easy to get into the business, making a go of it was a far different matter. The vast majority of them produced drainpipe, stovepipe, chimney or flue pipe, firebricks, sewer pipes, and a device called a portable furnace, which was a rather clever device. Portable furnaces were stoneware buckets or pots, with some sort of metal handle, generally having a tripod base, or legs, to hold it up off the floor. They would be filled with hot coals from the stove or fireplace, and brought to another room to provide heat. The original portable space heater!

Some of these firms were very successful, and remained in business for many years, others would open and close the same year. Among the more successful was the firm of F. ROOS & SON. They operated the Williamsburg Pottery, located at 56-60 North 11 th St. in Brooklyn for almost 20 years, 1875 to 1892. I am lucky to have in my collection a letter or flyer for this firm, with a date from the 1870's. Another was the Hamilton Pottery, which operated from 1868-1894. Located at the corner of Bush and Hamilton Sts (later Hamilton became Smith St) the production consisted of flowerpots, stove pipe, drain pipe and the like. Operated by a John Badum, it must have been profitable, since he sold the pottery in 1885 to Henry Bieg. Henry Bieg owned the Central Pottery, located at 52-66 Wallabout St. While these firms list in their advertisements stoneware, no marked examples have yet to surface. The typical products were the ever-present sewer pipes; drain pipe, traps, firebrick and the portable furnace. These firms are just a few of the dozens of potteries who operated in Brooklyn at this time period.

Now we are up to the late 1870's, or the early 1880's. At this late time period, the potting industry was already past its prime, but we find a potter who would produce marked and decorated stoneware for the longest time of any potter in Brooklyn! Cornelius Vaupel founded the Brooklyn Pottery, first being located in Williamsburg, at No. 11 Union Ave. This address is the site of a pottery operated by Joseph Hetticher, who began operation in 1864. Now, Cornelius Vaupel began production in 1877 with a partner by the name of Anton Boss. It is likely Vaupel was using Hetticher's kiln either "on shares" or a rental agreement. This partnership lasted just one year. Vaupel remained at the 11 Union Ave. address until 1881, when he moved to 388 (previously known as 366) Wallabout St. There are also marked pots from Vaupel bearing the address 444 Broadway. He produced the traditional ware of jugs, jars, and crocks and decorated them with designs typical of the Hudson Valley potters. Perhaps he learned his trade in the lower Hudson Valley, we may never know. He closed the Brooklyn Pottery in 1895.

Just in case you, the reader think that there is nothing left to know about the Brooklyn potting industry, think again. There are a very few stoneware bottles in collectors hands, which are marked on the lower sides "Wallabout/Pottery/Brooklyn". Who was this? Where were they located? What time frame did they operate in? Currently we have no clues or information on this mysterious pottery. Many potteries did operate near the Wallabout Canal, located in the Eastern District, or E.D. As no information has come to light on this pottery, currently we can only speculate that this was a potter using a kiln either on shares, or after hours. With a known output of a few bottles, it would appear the operation did not last very long.

Now, here we have the Charles Graham Chemical Pottery Works. Founded by Charles Graham in 1882, the firm was located on Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn. This was a specialty potter, as they supplied the industrial pottery required by the chemical works located throughout the city. The product line featured items such as sinks, strainers, traps, valves, pipe, acid jars or receivers, pumps, pitchers and so on, all of which were required by the vast chemical industry present in Brooklyn at the time. Stoneware has fairly high acid resistance and as such was a good choice at the time for the chemical industry. All their ware was marked, and you can find it today, generally with reasonable prices. I have seen a number of examples from the Charles Graham firm on eBay, even the sinks! While the products are not decorated, and having just a plain tan glaze, the stop-cocks for example (this is a type of valve), are quite lovely to see. Carefully molded and fitted they are quite something to behold. The firm was in business at least until 1913, and perhaps longer. Of all the pottery produced by the Brooklyn potters, the wares of the Charles Graham firm are the most available, and are very reasonable in price. I have seen the valves go for 10-15 dollars on eBay. The highest prices have been for the little chemical pitchers, they seem to top out at 40-50 dollars each.

Well, there you have it, my summation on the potting industry in Brooklyn. The pottery produced by the craftsmen in Brooklyn is really no different in form or decoration than that produced by the other potters in the region. While no doubt large amounts of stoneware were produced, due to the potters not marking the bulk of the ware, signed examples are uncommon. However, as the decoration is simple or crude, this has held down the prices, and the prices are affordable for the most part. I hope you have enjoyed it, and find it interesting. If you have any questions on it, please feel free to contact me.

Mark

Bibliography:

Useful Art: Long Island Pottery written by Cynthia Arps Corbet and published by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.

Potters and Potteries of New York State, 1650-1900 written by William C. Ketchum Jr. and published by the Syracuse University Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 gallon crock, c.1839, impressed makers mark: D MC LEES BROOKLYN POTTERY/COR SANDS & NAVY STS