Earthenware Pottery Production Techniques and the Bradford Family Pottery of Kingston, MA Martha L
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University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Masters Theses Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 6-1-2015 Ubiquitous and Unfamiliar: Earthenware Pottery Production Techniques and the Bradford Family Pottery of Kingston, MA Martha L. Sulya University of Massachusetts Boston Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Cultural History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Sulya, Martha L., "Ubiquitous and Unfamiliar: Earthenware Pottery Production Techniques and the Bradford Family Pottery of Kingston, MA" (2015). Graduate Masters Theses. Paper 326. This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UBIQUITOUS AND UNFAMILIAR: EARTHENWARE POTTERY PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES AND THE BRADFORD FAMILY POTTERY OF KINGSTON, MA A Thesis Presented by MARTHA L. SULYA Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS June 2015 Historical Archaeology Program © 2015 Martha L. Sulya All rights reserved UBIQUITOUS AND UNFAMILIAR: EARTHENWARE POTTERY PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES AND THE BRADFORD FAMILY POTTERY OF KINGSTON, MA A Thesis Presented by MARTHA L. SULYA Approved as to style and content by: _____________________________________________ Christa M. Beranek, Research Scientist, Fiske Center for Archeaological Research Chairperson of Committee _______________________________________________ Stephen A. Mrozowski, Professor ______________________________________________ John M. Steinberg, Senior Scientist, Fiske Center for Archaeological Research ______________________________________ Stephen W. Silliman, Program Director Historical Archaeology Program _________________________________________ R. Timothy Sieber, Chairperson Department of Anthropology ABSTRACT UBIQUITOUS AND UNFAMILIAR: EARTHENWARE POTTERY PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES AND THE BRADFORD FAMILY POTTERY OF KINGSTON, MA June 2015 Martha L. Sulya, B.A. Bates College M.A., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Christa Beranek, Research Scientist, Fiske Center for Archeaological Research Redware ceramic sherds are frequently found in New England historical archaeological sites; however, detailed data has not always been published regarding excavated New England earthenware pottery production sites. The goal of this thesis is to contribute to the small body of research on New England redware production through the study of the life and ceramic production techniques of the Bradford family pottery. Their workshop operated in Kingston, Massachusetts, from the 1780s to the 1870s, a time when stoneware production and industrial scale ceramics manufacturing took hold in America. Documentary study of the Bradford family and the ceramics industry shows that they operated a small, family workshop very much in the traditions of redware potteries. A description of the chemical processes which affect lead-glazed redwares in a wood fired kiln provides insight to the physical appearance of excavated sherds. Analysis of the kiln iv furniture illuminates the technical aspects of pottery production, including methods and scales of production. Nearly 2,000 pieces of kiln furniture were examined and a selection of eight kiln furniture types was studied for function through use marks and color. The Bradford kiln furniture was also compared to those from the redware pottery workshops of two contemporaries: Hervey Brooks of Goshen, Connecticut and Joseph Hazeltine of Concord, New Hampshire. These archaeological remains can help us understand how the practices of a family business did or did not respond to changes in their trade and determine that the Bradford pottery was representative of the common experience of New England redware producers. v ACKNOWLEGEMENTS It may take a village to raise a child and it certainly took a community to help me through graduate school, the culmination of which is this thesis. My deepest thanks go to my parents, Valerie and Joseph Sulya, my sister, Mary, my “adopted” family of Kim Longmore and her daughters, Paula Marcoux, Prett Woodburn, and Doug Ozelius. A particular thank you goes to my advisor Christa Beranek, who has been exceedingly patient and insightful. Thank you to all the members of the UMB Historical Archaeology Department who accepted me into their world. I am grateful for the research assistance provided by Susan Aprill of the Kingston Public Library, Tom Kelleher of Old Sturbridge Village, David Starbuck of Salem State, and the Jones River Village Historical Society. Unflagging moral support came from the staff of the Plymouth Public Library and numerous co-workers at Plimoth Plantation. Special thanks to the pottery crew and kiln firing teams, including David Dawson and Oliver Kent. Thank you to the dedicated volunteers who with Stephen Pendery conducted the excavation in Kingston, with particular thanks to Michael Burrey and Deborah Mason. Lastly, I bear witness to the professional dedication of Dr. Karin Goldstein, of blessed memory. As a curator at Plimoth Plantation, she strove to preserve and share the research collections, leading and teaching countless volunteers to get the job done. I was privileged to be one of the many she nurtured and her knowledge and enthusiasm is missed daily. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... xi CHAPTER Page 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 Chapter Outline ...................................................................... 10 2. THE HISTORY OF THE BRADFORD FAMILY AND THE 1996 EXCAVATION ................................................................................. 15 The Bradford Family of Wapping Road ................................ 15 Other Family Members at the Pottery .................................... 24 The Excavation ...................................................................... 25 3. POTTERY PRODUCTION: HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY ..... 32 The Processes: Clay ............................................................... 35 Making a Pot: Tools and Methods ......................................... 38 Glazing: Materials and Methods ............................................ 40 Kiln Types .............................................................................. 43 Kiln Setting: Overview .......................................................... 47 Firing: Overview .................................................................... 50 Changes in the Pottery Industry: Basic Differences Between Stoneware and Earthenware Production ................................ 51 Changing Materials ........................................................... 54 Scale of Production ........................................................... 56 Chemical Processes in a Firing .............................................. 58 Redware Clay in a Wood Kiln ............................................... 59 Lead Glazes in a Wood Kiln .................................................. 61 4. THE BRADFORD EXCAVATION: PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 63 Initial Processing of the Bradford Collection ........................ 63 Condition of the Collection .................................................... 65 Hollowware Forms................................................................. 66 Observations of Production at the Bradford Pottery .............. 69 The Kiln Furniture Study ....................................................... 70 Bricks ................................................................................ 74 Tripod Stilts ...................................................................... 77 Wedges ............................................................................. 80 vii CHAPTER Page Glaze Troughs ................................................................... 84 Rectangular Slab Setting Tiles .......................................... 87 Circular Slab Setting Tiles ................................................ 89 Saggars .............................................................................. 91 Color Study ........................................................................................ 93 5. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................ 98 Comparative Collections ........................................................ 98 Hervey Brooks of Goshen, Connecticut ........................... 98 Joseph Hazeltine of Concord, New Hampshire ................ 104 Discussion .............................................................................. 109 Assessment ............................................................................. 113 APPENDIX A: KILN FURNITURE COLORS ............................................................ 117 REFERENCES .............................................................................................