Ohio was the center of pottery production due to good waterways and an abundance of raw materials, Ohio's natural gas deposits in Zanesville combined with rich clay provided an ideal foundation for local potteries and gave Zanesville its nickname, "clay city". During its heyday, Ohio pottery establishments numbered 30. The products were sold in fine department stores and considered ideal gifts for weddings and other significant occasions. Ohio Art Pottery can be characterized as a close-knit industry of artists and potters who were given often switched allegiance, going to work for the competition. As a result, there are a lot of similarities in design and style among the many companies. This industry is also reflective of improved opportunities in the workplace for women, as the advent of modern inventions such as sewing machines and commercially prepared foods enabled women to pursue other activities including artistic professions.
Early on, decorators frequently signed their pieces, however later pieces were not signed. When sales of Ohio Art Pottery began to decline after World War II, companies went from expensive handcrafted artistic lines to more commercial lines such as oven-to-table ware. Despite the transition to basic housewares, most of the companies began to fold between 1919 and 1940, primarily due to declining markets after the depression, changes in management and financial problems. By 1967, all of the companies were out of business.
Sam Weller, who was born in 1851 established a pottery at Fultionham, Ohio in 1872. In the beginning his production consisted of functional earthenware for everyday use by the local population. Rich clay deposits in the Muskingum county area would be a major contributing factor to making the region a major center of Art Pottery manufacturing for some 60 plus years. In 1889 Weller moved his pottery to Zanesville and before long, he had added umbrella stands, jardinieres, hanging baskets, flowerpots and more to the practical line of wares he started with. Over the next few years, his salesmanship and quality pottery generated substantial demand which required further additions to the pottery. By around 1895, Weller Pottery had a staff of nearly 200 potters.
Involvement of the McCoy family in the pottery business can be traced back to 1848 when W. Nelson and W.F. McCoy started a pottery business manufacturing utilitarian stoneware items. For the next four generations the McCoy name would be closely linked to several of the major pottery companies operating in the Zanesville & Rosville area of Ohio. The who, what, where and when can often be confusing. My goal here is to present an overview of that involvment in one place. For those wanting more information there are several very good books on the subject.
Owens possessed an eagerness to sell which made him a super salesman. He took a position selling a line of stoneware for a pottery company in Roseville, Ohio and rapidly became the highest-salaried man on the sales force. In a short period of time he saved enough money to start a small stoneware pottery company of his own. Owens engaged workmen to make the pottery but he himself took the responsibility of selling. Soon he had enough capital to erect a new plant in Roseville.
Shawnee pottery was started in Zanesville, Ohio in 1937 receiving its name and unique mark from an arrowhead found on the grounds of the plant as it was being built. Shawnee Indians were known to have made pottery in that area long before white settlers pushed them out, and so the company named itself after these long-lost locals.
