Edgefield Pottery
         In the early nineteenth century, a new tradition of pottery emerged in the old Edgefield District in South Carolina. The tradition of alkaline-glazed stoneware was developed by southern potters using local materials to produce inexpensive and impermeable containers for local use. By 1850, at the height of Edgefield stoneware production, five large-scale factories existed in the area. A network of families owned these factories and relied on enslaved Africans for much of their labor. One of these laborers was Dave who signed his name and sometimes even wrote verses on his ceramic wares. The production of alkaline-glazed stoneware ended in South Carolina by the turn of the century but earlier Edgefield trained potters had introduced the tradition throughout the South.

	Storage Jar Arthur Ray Cole, Rainbow Pottery, Sanford, N.C. c. 1934-1938          Arthur Cole operated Rainbow Pottery from 1934 to the early 1940s. He then changed the name to A.R. Cole Pottery. In 1974, it became just Cole Pottery and is still in operation today by one of his daughters.
	Alkaline-Glazed Bowl Thomas Chandler, Edgefield District, S.C. c. 1840-1850          Thomas Chandler was born in Virginia in 1810. By 1840, records indicate that Chandler had moved to South Carolina and turned in several of the Edgefield pottery factories including Phoenix Factory.          In 1850, he co-owned the Trapp-Chandler Factory with John Trapp. Chandler died in 1854. His ceramic wares are often recognized by the use of iron slip for loop and floral decorations.
	Pisgah Forest Pottery   Arden, N.C.   c. 1930-1980