Louisville Stoneware Studio Art Golf Clubs Ball

Louisville Pottery (Lewis Pottery) was founded in 1815 in the Highlands of Kentucky by a young potter named Jacob Lewis. It is one of the oldest, continuously operating stoneware companies in the United States. Over the next two hundred years, the pottery changed hands (and names) several times. In 1970, John Robertson, a ceramics engineer, purchased the company and saved it from closing. He renamed the company Louisville Stoneware. Jacob Lewis established Lewis Pottery in 1815 near the Ohio River on Billy Goat Strut Alley, named after the favored pastime of betting on the billy goat races. He chose the location because travelers heading west would stock up on supplies at the "Falls of the Ohio River." Crockery was the "Tupperware" of its time. Lewis's pottery produced the large thirty-gallon crocks necessary to transport precious stores of grains, sugar, flour, and whiskey. Once filled, the crocks would be sealed with a wooden top and beeswax to keep rats and insects out.
In addition to the necessary ceramic storage containers, Lewis manufactured everyday items such as plates and bowls (less expensive than the pewter dishware of the day), and
.
By 1820, stoneware was produced from Maryland to Kentucky. Lewis Pottery produced jugs for Kentucky's bourbon distilleries. General store proprietors had their establishment names printed on the jugs, which they then sold to customers. These jugs were then filled and refilled for the cost of the bourbon.
During the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman established an army base in Louisville—a preemptive move in case the Confederacy advanced. Lewis’s company provided a majority of the storage containers for the Union troops. Sherman’s “March to the Sea” destroyed the majority of Southern potteries as a matter of strategy. Most never recovered.
By the beginning of the 20th century, stoneware storage containers were replaced by tin cans and glass. Most stoneware factories closed their doors during the first decade. Lewis Pottery, which had changed hands a number of times, was purchased by James Bauer. He operated the pottery under the name Bauer Pottery, Cherokee Pottery, and Louisville Pottery. In 1938, the factory was purchased by John B. Taylor and renamed JB Taylor Company. He expanded production, transforming the pottery into a major manufacturer of dishware,
,
, and
. Many of the patterns that originated during Taylor’s tenure, such as the
, continue to be one of the company's most popular designs.
After Taylor died in 1970, the pottery was purchased by John Robertson, who kept the company from closing. He changed the name to Louisville Stoneware, continuing to produce both practical and
ceramics. In 1997, Christy Lee Brown took over Louisville Stoneware, updating the brand, adding factory tours, and implementing an internet presence and strategy. Along with designer David Mahoney, she created several new patterns and pieces for the company, including the “
” cookie jar line.
Stephen A. Smith currently helms Louisville Stoneware. The company continues to produce durable, artistic pottery. The
produced by this company throughout its existence, such as this
piece commemorating the 111th running of the Derby, and this adorable, collectible
, remain quite popular. During both Brown's and Smith's tenures, the company has produced several specialty pieces for national companies such as
,
, and Texas Roadhouse.

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