Clay Aiken was not the first clay to make North Carolina famous. The red clay in the hilly Piedmont area was. In the 1700s, English and German immigrants settled in the area now known as Seagrove and turned the local red clay beneath their feet into an industry that still thrives in the state 200 years later. What started out as a functional tradition of the Colonial-era community turned into an art form that has enriched North Carolina’s cultural traditions to this day.

According to pottery historian Charles Zug, the first potters in Seagrove most likely placed their clay on homemade kick wheels–an early type of potter’s wheel--making wares that they actually used at home, such as plates, bowls, and jugs. Earthenware was the first type of pottery, which is made from the surface clay and fired at low temperatures. In the late 1700s potters used salt thrown into the kiln during firing at higher temperatures. This created the more durable saltware. These early saltware pieces were milk crocks, food jars, whiskey jugs and kitchenwares. Once glass containers started to be used for storing food in the early 1900s and with the advent of refrigeration, saltware went out of fashion.

However, in the 1920s, potters began to revive the tradition, creating art pottery to sell to tourists. At this time, Jacques and Juliana Busbee, Raleigh collectors, saw the value of Seagrove pottery and took some pieces to New York, bringing the pottery to a wider audience of collectors. Soon after, local families opened pottery shops, such as the Coles, Owenses, Teagues, Lucks, Chriscoes, Kings, Albrights and others. National magazines published articles on Seagrove pottery, launching the area’s pottery fame. During World War II, materials for glazes became scarce, so potters had to make due. The trend of that era was to make small pieces to sell as gifts. In the 1950s, potters worked together to promote Seagrove’s pottery industry. New potters moved into the area in the 1960s and 70s following an era of social change. These potters brought new ideas with them for pottery making while keeping some of the old pottery influences.

Today, there are over 100 potteries in the 15-mile area. While in the Old North State for vacation, I decided to journey there and check out the local wares myself.

For a city person, driving into Seagrove, though only about an hour and a half from Raleigh, makes you feel like you are slowly driving out of civilization and makes you wonder, gee, where do I go if I have to pee? (Is it painfully obvious that I come from a family who did not go camping?) As you drive down Rte. 220, you pass the Jugtown Café (where a vegetarian can get a grilled cheese sandwich) aptly named for the area’s main business, pottery, that serves diner-type food and yummy-looking baked goods. You also start to see something down the road that makes this town unique. Signs that read so-and-so’s pottery and that look like wooden shacks outside a main house or are part of a main house. Farther in town, there are, gratefully, some gas stations, where you can go. There are also more pottery shops. Inside any pottery shop, you can find a map so you can start your hunt.

My companion had been to Seagrove before, so I knew to get to town early since the pottery shops close at 5 p.m. Also, since my friend knew what was best, we chose to visit her favorite shops first. She educated me that just because it says pottery on the door doesn’t mean it’s pottery. Some of the shops try to sell you pottery that looks like something your kid made in second grade. But others, especially the more well-known shops, follow the area tradition or are made by masters at the trade. At Kings, a quaint shop that is a-ways off the main strip and down a long driveway, there is functional, colorful pottery. I was happy to purchase an earthen-tone pie dish from this high quality shop. Back on 220, I stopped at the Great White Oak Gallery where I bought a red plate sporting a trout-like fish from craftsman Benjamin Burns who brought his love for pottery making with him to North Carolina from Florida. I was rather impressed with Burns’ work, which was clean and professional. One of the cool things about Seagrove is that you get to meet the potter, who is there selling his wares.

pie plate from Kings, photo courtesy of Miles Stocker

If you turn down 705, you come into the heart of where most of the potteries lie. The best thing to do is follow the map because many potteries are located off of the main roads. They are easy to find, though don’t be intimidated to drive down long, gravel driveways. You aren’t driving into Deliverance; there is a pottery barn at the end of the road. One of my friend’s favorite potteries is the Whynot Pottery, in the area since 1982. Many of Whynot’s pottery have earthen colors and have ornate etchings. (Whynot Pottery explains in its brochure that it is named for the small community near Seagrove called Whynot. Legend has it that the town got its name when trying to establish itself in 1860. At a meeting to name the town, people preceded their suggestions with the phrase "Why not?" so someone suggested, "Why not call it Whynot and let’s go home.") Tom Gray is not far from Whynot and has a unique copper glaze on his work. But he is best known for his pieces that picture dragonflies. Phil Morgan is best known for his crystalline pieces, which is a difficult glaze to make that gives a special effect of shiny, bright splotches of crystal colors. My friend also likes Dover Pottery’s crystalline pieces, which are more affordable for those monetarily-challenged like myself.

jug from Whynot, photo courtesy of Miles Stocker

The Original Owens shop is a cool one to visit because it is one of the original pottery families. The Owenses make traditional pottery that has a country flair and that is functional. No one was in the shop, and there was a sign to ring a buzzer if we needed help. The Owenses were not the only potters in Seagrove who used the honor system. It shocked the New Yorker in me. It truly feels like another time in Seagrove—a time when you could leave your doors unlocked and trust people.

Near this shop is Westmoore, a must-visit just for its gingerbread-style house. Of course, it's also a must-visit because of its unique historical pottery as well.

Another interesting place to visit is Jugtown, which isn’t far away. What I like about Jugtown is the accompanying museum which is free to visit and houses old pieces of pottery. Here, you can see examples of saltware, which I like for its historical value. Here also you are on your own to explore.

At the end of the day and the drive, I was tired, but there was one place we wanted to hit. It was out of the main area and down what seemed like a few long roads. I don’t know if it was that far or if I was just tired from driving all day, but I was glad that I found the white house. Freeman Pottery was the only shop we visited that asked that you ring the doorbell to be let in. We weren’t sure about that. The potter, Judy Freeman Foushee, answered the bell and invited us in. She was working on the potter’s wheel in the back room and showed us the miniatures and smaller-sized pots she had made. We fell in love with the miniatures, since we had not seen many all day and the ones we did see paled in comparison to hers. I had to get a mini whiskey jug complete with tiny cork, which she told us she bought for eight cents each from a guy who never thought he’d find anyone to buy such tiny corks. Her larger pieces, which are also made as miniatures, have a special etching on them that is called sgraffito, which is when the potter carves designs into the first layers of clay so the lower darker layers will show through as a design.

Pottery collecting in Seagrove can be addictive.  So far I've checked about fifteen potteries off of my list and I've learned the various styles and methods I like.  If you'd like more information about Seagrove, check out www.discoverseagrove.com.