Grace Pitcher Blue Ridge China Southern Potteries Inc

In 1916, the Carolina Clinchfield and Ohio Railroad established a pottery in Erwin, Tennessee. The railroad wanted to develop industry along its line. The railroad transported coal and feldspar to the pottery. Local kaolinite deposits near the plant provided the clay. Grosvenor Atterbury, a New York architect, was hired by the railroad to layout a planned community for Erwin. The company built 50 rental homes.

The first products shipped in 1917. The earliest pottery dinnerware products were gold line decorated. J. E. Owens from Sebring, Ohio, acquired the pottery in 1920. He changed the name to Southern Potteries. Charles W. Foreman, an associate of J. E. Owens, bought Southern Potteries in 1922.

From 1917 through 1938, decals were used to create the patterns on bisque clay blanks. Hand painting was introduced in 1938. Most of the painting was done by local women added by a "few" men. Southern Potteries did not use embossed or incised lines to guide the painters. Unglazed bisque blanks were stamped with the outline of a pattern and then painted. Painters were encouraged to do free-hand work.

Lena Watts, an Erwin native, designed many of the patterns. In addition, Southern Potteries made limited production Blue Ridge patterns for a number of major department stores. Sears, Roebuck featured Southern Potteries Blue Ridge dinnerware in its mail catalogs and stores.

Southern Potteries accepted large and small orders, often no more than a dozen. Many small orders resulted in larger orders.

The company experienced a highly successful period in the 1940s and early 1950s, the Golden Age of Blue Ridge. Cheap Japanese imports and the increased use of plastic dinnerware in the mid-1950s sapped the company's market strength. Operations ceased on January 31, 1957. Following the closing of the plant, a number of Blue Ridge painters found employment at Cannonsburg and Stetson potteries.

Patterns had a numbering system – 3,000 numbers date from the 1940s and 4,000 numbers from the 1950s,

Clinchfield marks

Double circle with "SOUTHERN HAND PAINTED / CLINCHFIELD WARE" in border, "MADE / IN / ERWIN, TENN. / USA" in center.

Double circle with 'CLINCHFIELD / CHINAWARE" in border, "S. P. I" in center, and crown on top.

Southern Potteries marks

Circle mark: Top arch "HAND PAINTED – UNDERGLAZE", bottom reverse arch "SOUTHERN POTTERIES, INC.", mountain in center beneath which is "Blue Ridge" on slope, pine tree separating two words, "MADE IN / U.S.A" to left of tree. Mark also can be found with "DETERGENT PROOF" at top and "OVEN BAKE" at bottom.

Diamond with small diamond in center, "SOUTHERN / POTTERIES" outside two top edges.

Elongated diamond inside of which is "HAND PAINTED / UNDERGLAZE / ERWIN / TENN." in the center of which is "S. P. I.," "MADE IN U.S.A." beneath diamond.

Script mark: 'Blue Ridge / Hand Painted / Underglaze / Southern Potteries, Inc." over "MADE IN U.S.A.". There are multiple variations of this mark, some of which include pattern name.

Several patterns had their own marks.

Resources/Links

Antique Master. "Blue Ridge Dinnerware Pattern Identification Southern Potteries." Antiquemaster.com.

Binnicker, Margaret. "Southern Potteries, Inc." Tennesseeencyclopedia.net.

Newbound, Betty and Bill Newbound. Collector's Encyclopedia of Blue Ridge Dinnerware: Identification & Values. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1994.

Newbound, Betty and Bill Newbound. Collector's Encyclopedia of Blue Ridge Dinnerware: An Illustrated Value Guide: Vol. II. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1998.

Newbound, Betty and Bill Newbound. Best of Blue Ridge Dinnerware: Identification and Value Guide. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2002.

Replacements, Ltd. "Blue Ridge Southern Pottery." Replacements.com. Images of hundreds of Blue Ridge patterns.

Ruffin, Frances and John Ruffin. Blue Ridge China Today: A Comprehensive Identification and Price Guide for Today's Collector. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1997

Ruffin, Frances and John Ruffin. Blue Ridge China Traditions. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1999.

Ruffin, Frances and John Ruffin. Blue Ridge China Treasures. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2004.

Southernpotteries. "History of Southern Potteries" Southernpotteries.com.

Wikipedia. "Blue Ridge (dishware)." Wikipedia.org.

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Source: https://www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/ceramics/na--united-states/southern-potteries