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The Outens had been in the pottery business since the 1870s, working in both North and South Carolina. Kenneth Outen inherited the family's pottery in the town of Matthews, east of Charlotte, from his...Pottery
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.
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Within this Series
Audio
Hewell Pottery, Gillsville, Banks County. Interview recorded with family members in June 1981. The Hewell family potting dynasty began with Nathaniel H. Hewell (1832-1887). For years, the Hewell...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...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...Audio
Billy Henson tells Cinda Baldwin why he was interested in reviving alkaline-glazed stoneware. A native of Lyman in Spartanburg County, Henson came from a long line of traditional potters. Both his...Audio
"A story of whiskey jugs and watermelons told by Horace Brown." The daughter of Mississippi potter Homer Wade Stewart, Hattie Mae married journeyman potter Horace “Jug” Brown. She met Brown when he...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...Audio
"Ralph P Miller tells of potting heritage and Yankee origins" Horatio Boggs is descended from a long line of family potters with roots in Alamance County, North Carolina. Like many other potters in...Audio
Sara Ayers talks with Cinda Baldwin about animal figures in her pottery. (Part 2) Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's...Document
Video transcript for: Lanier Meaders & His Roots Lanier Meaders & His Reasons