Barbara J. Gundy and Deborah Casselberry
The Mansion Pottery

Ceramics in America 2005

Full Article
Contents
  • Figure 1
    Figure 1

    View of the archaeological excavations at the Mansion Pottery site. (Photo, Jonathan Glenn.)

  • Figure 2
    Figure 2

    East Liverpool, Ohio. Lithograph, Albert Ruger and J. J. Stoner, 1886. Arrow indicates city block on which the Mansion Pottery site was located. (Courtesy, East Liverpool Museum of Ceramics.)

  • Figure 3
    Figure 3

    Photograph of East Liverpool, Ohio. Undated. (Courtesy, East Liverpool Museum of Ceramics.)

  • Figure 4
    Figure 4

    1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Company Map superimposed on a drawing of the Mansion Pottery excavation site. (Drawing, Thomas G. Whitley and Jonathan Glenn.)

  • Figure 5
    Figure 5

    Spittoon, James Salt and Frederick Mear, East Liverpool, 1842–1853. Yellow ware. H. 8 1/4". One of the few whole vessels attributable to the Salt and Mear ownership of the Mansion Pottery. (Courtesy, East Liverpool Museum of Ceramics and William C. Gates Jr.)

  • Figure 6
    Figure 6

    Mansion House Hotel building, undated photograph. Note the mold board, with several pots on it, that extends from a second-story window. (Courtesy, East Liverpool Museum of Ceramics.)

  • Figure 7
    Figure 7

    Overhead view of the first kiln, illustrated in fig. 1, showing the fireboxes. (Photo, Jonathan Glenn.)

  • Figure 8
    Figure 8

    Chamber pot fragments, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1860s. Bisque yellow ware. Decorated with dark brown and pumpkin bands, and slip-trailed pumpkin lines. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 9
    Figure 9

    Teapot and jug fragments, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1851–1860s. Rockingham-glazed yellow ware. These relief-molded vessels illustrate the Minister/Apostle motif (at left) and the “Rebekah at the Well” motif (at right). (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 10
    Figure 10

    Drawing of a Rockingham-glazed yellow ware pitcher fragment with hanging game motif. (Drawing, Martin T. Fuess.)

  • Figure 11
    Figure 11

    Yellow ware stilt with the name “Robert” inscribed into the clay while the clay was wet. The name is partially obscured by Rockingham glaze drips. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 12
    Figure 12

    Hollow ware fragments, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1860s. Bisque yellow ware. Decorated with dark brown and pumpkin bands, pumpkin slip trails, and cat’s-eye motif showing slip imperfections. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 13
    Figure 13

    Teapot lid, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1912. Bisque yellow ware. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 14
    Figure 14

    Colorless glazed yellow ware vessel fragments showing glaze imperfections. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 15
    Figure 15

    View showing the fireboxes of the second kiln. (Photo, Jonathan Glenn.)

  • Figure 16
    Figure 16

    Spittoon fragments, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1860s. Yellow ware. An example of Rockingham glaze (left); an example of bisque (right). (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 17
    Figure 17

    Mugs, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio. Yellow ware, 1842–1860s. An example of bisque with slip bands (left); bisque with relief molding (center); slip-banded with colorless glaze (right). (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 18
    Figure 18

    Bowl, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1860s. Partially reconstructed London-shape bowl with dark brown and pumpkin bands and slip-trailed pumpkin lines. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 19
    Figure 19

    Bowl and jug fragments, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1860s. Yellow ware bisque vessels with bands, cat’s-eye, and earthworm slip motifs showing slip imperfections. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 20
    Figure 20

    Yellow ware kiln furniture, including stilts and spurs. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 21
    Figure 21

    Photograph of a sagger in fill of biscuit warehouse. (Photo, Barbara Gundy.)

  • Figure 22
    Figure 22

    Baker fragment, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1912. Yellow ware with Rockingham glaze. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 23
    Figure 23

    Bottle stoppers, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1853. Yellow ware with Rockingham glaze. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 24
    Figure 24

    Chamber pot fragment, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1912. Colorless glazed chamber pot fragment with reddish brown and white slip bands, with common cable or earthworm motifs. (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 25
    Figure 25

    Molded jug fragments, Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1912. Yellow ware bisque relief-molded jug fragments, with an example of a floral motif (left) and a thistle motif (right). (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 26
    Figure 26

    Yellow ware bisque sherds. Mansion Pottery, East Liverpool, Ohio, 1842–1912. An example of relief molding and dark brown and pumpkin slip bands (top left), a baker with relief-molded beading (top right), lathe-turned bands (bottom left), and dark brown and pumpkin bands with pumpkin slip-trailed lines and dots (bottom right). (Photo, Melinda McNaugher.)

  • Figure 27
    Figure 27

    Illustration of three partial maker’s marks found on ceramic sherds at the archaeological excavation of the Mansion Pottery. (a) “. . . EA . . .” from the Salt and Mear operation; (b) an unidentifiable mark; and (c) “. . . ALL . . .” from the Croxall operation. (Drawing, Martin T. Fuess)