South Carolina, with its rich clay deposits, is the home to two different, but very important ceramic traditions - Catawba earthenware and alkaline-glazed stoneware. Before European contact in the 16th century, the Catawba Nation controlled much of what is now South Carolina and most of the North Carolina Piedmont. This tradition has continued through elder potters sharing their knowledge and skills with younger generations. While their techniques remain ancient, they have adapted their forms to changing markets. Kinship and community were also important in the development and diffusion of the alkaline-glazed stoneware tradition during the nineteenth century. Using European and African forms and labor the Edgefield, South Carolina, potteries produced containers used primarily for food preservation and preparation. As some potters migrated west and to other areas in the southeast, they spread the alkaline-glazed tradition into Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.

Content is provided by McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina.

For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.

Applying Glazes | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Audio

Eugene Pottery, Cowpens, Cherokee County. Interview recorded June 2007 as the Folklife Resource Center continues to document pottery traditions in South Carolina. Winton Eugene is a self-taught potter...
Brown's Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Brown's Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Photo

A fifth-generation potter, Otto Brown (1899-1980) was a true journeyman potter. The son of Georgia potter James Osborne Brown, Otto turned pots in Alabama, Georgia, and both Carolinas, often with his...
Elizabeth Ringus: Glazes | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Audio

Elizabeth Ringus, Paw Print Pottery Barnwell, Barnwell County. Interview recorded June 2007. Liz Ringus has been turning pots for over 36 years. A native of Massachusetts, Ringus and her husband Paul...
Eric Miller Photos | Digital Traditions
Eric Miller Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Photo

Since the retirement of his father, the family pottery has been managed by this fourth generation potter. This Alabama potting dynasty was founded by Abraham Miller, who arrived in the region shortly...