I learned that many west african tribes represented the head disproportionately large in their drawing and sculpture traditions because the head was believed to house a persons soul. Many of the potters came from english, irish, and german backgrounds and contributed their forms and techniques, while african american slaves performed the. About 400 slaves were brought to georgia on a schooner called the wanderer. South carolina highway 23 passes through the center of the town, leading east 26 miles 42 km to batesburg. This particular example features a fantastic provenance history, part of the important john gordon collection of folk americana. Edgefield, south carolina, pottery face jug, 19th century.
Edgefield, south carolina old edgefield pottery sciway. We beg for a face jug or 2 from kim every year, and sometimes we actually are granted that honor. Alkalineglazed stoneware is a big part of their production, including face jugs and thomas chandlerstyle slipdecorated jars and jugs burrison 2010, 3641, 10326. Edgefield county south carolina united states of america. Also t are 20 or more pages of photos, and general bio information. Jul 18, 2016 the edgefield advertiser 183620 117 courthouse sq. Search the history of over 439 billion web pages on the internet. Early american face jugs antiques and the arts weekly. Just north of southern historic research, genealogy. Recent research suggests this type of jug was produced by african americans, and this form. Jan 08, 2020 the history of face jugs goes all the way back to the fourteenth century. And it was in edgefield, south carolina, where slaves threw many of these strange pots.
As baldwin notes, south carolinas old legislative district of edgefield an. Fearing injuries and lawsuits arising from the teenagers roaming the property largely unchecked during the 1980s, the county had the wellpreserved barns torn down shortly before mike and brian bought the property. Alkaline glazed face jug with kaolin inset eyes and teeth and incised lettering. Face jug edgefield district, south carolina 1855 1865 alkalineglazed stoneware hoa. It is at gillsville that the old edgefield district tradition lives on, contributing to north georgias reputation as one of the last places in the united states where folk. Index southern pottersedgefield pottery face jugnr. History of edgefield county south carolina, from the. Important and probably unique oversized stoneware face harvest jug with twocolor glaze, edgefield district, sc, circa 18401875, wheelthrown, domed form with applied tubular pouring spout and arched handle across the top, decorated with a handmodeled and applied clay face including bulging kaolin eyes with pierced pupils set within open lids, raised eyebrows, a wellsculpted nose with. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of southern pottery.
Rare and important largesized edgefield, sc stoneware. Full text of history of edgefield county from the earliest. Rainsford, have worked together to produce this book on the town of edgefield as a visitors guide. Full text of history of edgefield county from the earliest settlement to 1897 see other formats. Origins of southern stoneware south carolina is known for having three unique folkart traditions. Face jug history following are several face jugs which are attributed to the bf landrum, miles mill and col.
A combination of necessary natural resources, slave labor, and good fortune helped put edgefield on the map, and its unique history has been recreated with the help of old edgefield pottery and its resident historian and potter, stephen ferrell. Ask potters or collectors what they think about face jugs and you will likely hear. Encyclopedia the term edgefield pottery is used to identify alkalineglazed stoneware first produced in edgefield district in the 1810s. See more ideas about stoneware, face jugs and pottery. A deep source of regret for mcmenamins was the loss of great barns of the poor farm. Sep 27, 2019 illustrated in the back of the book is an edgefield stoneware face jug that was found in portsmouth, n. Collection of edgefield pottery to be sold at auction. Edgefield pottery special to statehouse report 11042016 10.
Jul 16, 2015 mark discusses an important recent southern pottery discovery. Exceedingly rare and important diminutive stoneware face jug with protruding tongue, edgefield, sc origin, circa 18601880, wheelthrown jug with arching strap handle and semirounded pouring spout, decorated with an applied clay face, including bulging kaolin eyes, eyebrows, nose, chin, open mouth with kaolin teeth and protruding tongue, and cshaped ears, each with distinctive applied tragus. Origins of southern stoneware edgefield district pottery. Edgefield county genealogy and history south carolina. Mar 17, 2018 the multnomah county poor farm in troutdale was built in 1911 to replace multnomah countys first home for the destitute, the hillside farm in portlands west hills. When i started making face jugs more than 20 years ago i heard about slave potter dave from edgefield,south carolina, who could read and write and i was drawn to his story. Leigh shaped the jugs round body to represent a slightly upturned face with african features, and the vessels round spout suggests a topknot or crown balanced on the subjects head. Many of edgefields ceramic forms have european, especially british, roots. Chandler was trained in baltimore and moved to edgefield in the 1830s and was active working for various potters until about 1850, when he. Edgefield, south carolina, pottery face jug, circa 1860.
Last month i wrote about the chipstone foundations new acquisition, an early edgefield face jug with writing on the back. There is interest from both museums and private collectors, wooten said. Route 25 passes through the southwest part of the town, bypassing the center, and leads north 33 miles 53 km to greenwood and south 26 miles 42 km to augusta, georgia. I first read about the edgefield face jugs i was taking an african art history class at. Saluda river runs on its northeast border, and savannah river on its southwest. Photograph courtesy of the chipstone foundation and mark newell, ph. Edgefield is located slightly east of the center of edgefield county at 33. Art and ritual in 19th century south carolina might be wondering what the big silvery face jug is and how it fits into the exhibition. Thomas davies pottery and are suspected to be slavemade. Edgefield pottery blends the cultural traditions of england, europe, asia, and africa.
In terry zugs book, turners and burners, burlon craig is quoted as saying. We know that edgefield face jugs were created by slaves, and later free. See more ideas about south carolina, american history and history. Edgefield, sc face jug w important provenance, 19th century. The latter institution, which housed the poor, ill, and disabled, was inspected in the fall of 1910 by a coalition of members from portland charitable organizations who declared the crumbling building and its deplorable conditions. This is the africanamerican facejug oral history as it was passed down in my family, the mcdowellposton family. Jan 01, 2010 members of a noncredit class on edgefield history, taught for many years by james o. Ferrell collection of edgefield pottery soars at wooten.
Archaeology of edgefield, south carolina pottery communities. The sale started off on a strong note when a rare stoneware face jug, attributed to the davies pottery, edgefield district, s. May 28, 2012 jugs similar to the one found by hynes grandfather are in collections at institutions including the mckissick, the augusta museum of history, the high museum of art in atlanta, the charleston museum and the philadelphia museum of art, which owns an edgefield face jug donated in 1904. One of the best known face jug potters from the edgefield district was a man. However, one of the most important contemporary potters jim mcdowell, known as the black potter, recounts on his website his familys oral history about the. Historic edgefield, built in 1911 as the county poor farm, is a destination resort in the pacific northwest that blends oregons natural beauty with mcmenamins signature whimsy.
One of the best known face jug potters from the edgefield district was a man named dave. Full text of history of edgefield county from the earliest settlement to 1897. His pots and jugs were immense in size and notable for their handwritten inscriptions, which were. From the chipstone collectionof ghosts and speculation. In this presentation she traces the jugs origins back to edgefield county, south carolina and discovers how her face jug traveled 700 hundred miles north. Since then, our curatorial team has uncovered the meaning behind the elusive inscription. Collection of edgefield pottery to be sold at auction news. But, this was 50 years later in december 1858, explained edgefield county historian tonya guy. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in. When i first read about the edgefield face jugs i was taking an african art history class at the university of wisconsin in madison. Illustrated in the back of the book is an edgefield stoneware face jug that was found in portsmouth, n. Edgefield county is known for its extraordinary contributions to american stoneware pottery. I offer great examples of edgefield stoneware such as signed dave pots, thomas chandler, and edgefield face vessels.
In the late nineteenth century, the face jug became a whimsical addition for many southern white potters working in georgia and north and south carolina, and no longer retained its original meaning. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Rare and important largesized edgefield, sc stoneware face. Join facebook to connect with martina edgefield and others you may know. In the 1990s, the museum organized exhibitions and published books that revealed the edgefield area as the birthplace of southern pottery. Teaming up with local historians and experts, she was introduced to many descendants of the survivors of the. In addition to the archaeology project, the edgefield county historical society, university of illinois, and university of chicago also hosted a related speaker series on the history and heritage of edgefield, south carolina, and the southern stoneware pottery traditions, at the joanne t. Edgefield pottery was known for its distinctive alkalinebased glaze. Edgefield is a village and a civil parish in the english county of norfolk. Rare and important largesized stoneware face jug, edgefield district, sc origin, circa 18451865, ovoid jug with finelyformed, stepped spout and applied strap handle, the front decorated with an applied clay face, including bulging kaolin eyes set within elliptical lids, conjoined arching eyebrows, prominent nose with pinched nostrils, open mouth with wellexecuted, flattened lips and. In the face of adversity and under the risk of severe punishment, this slave potter created jugs with rebellious sayings on them. This is the africanamerican face jug oral history as it was passed down in my family, the mcdowellposton family. Hoar writes about 22 edgefield objects in the meyer collection, remarkable, he says, for its size, scope, variety, quality, condition and range.
The history of the production and use of these objects is still shrouded in. Edgefield county is situated in the west part of the state, and contains 1,680 square miles. The work we selected for the stanleys collection, 103 face jug series,is a saltfired krater whose base resembles the long, elegant neck of a young woman. One instance of a northern pottery tradition influencing edgefield production is a stoneware harvest jug made at thomas chandlers manufactory around 1850 and. Small boats were hired to take slaves up the savannah river. The nearest railway station is at sheringham for the bittern line. Sweetgrass basketry, catawba pottery, and edgefield pottery. For example, the districts lughandled jars bear a strong resemblance to those of scotland and northern england burrison 2007, 94. These unusual ceramic vessels first appeared in the american south in the mid1800s. These face jugs were made in the area of edgefield s. The ferrells were known for their keen interest in edgefield, s. Old edgefield grille home edgefield, south carolina. Collection of the smithsonians national museum of american history. These things get to be like your children after all these years.