Georgia Caraway

Denton Pottery Works, D B Daugherty and Moss Potteries in the Alton area; and the D B and Guy Daugherty Pottery near Dallas Drive in Denton

The Wilson kiln was originally located in the southeast, central part of Denton County within the city limits of Corinth, Texas This master potter operated at this site from the mid to late 1800s At one time, Wilson appears to have worked with John Cranston

Built of handmade brick, the Wilson kiln was a combination of the ‘groundhog’ and ‘beehive’ kilns Located near the Serren site, there was once an arched roof covered with earth to provide more efficient insulation Between 1013 feet in diameter, the kiln formed a mound about 4 feet above the ground The remaining part of the structure was about 4-6 feet underground Excavation of the kiln took place in 1998 by the Archeology Committee and volunteers of the Denton County Historical Commission, before the development of a new housing sub-division

The history of pottery making by students at GIC (Girls Industrial College which later became CIA/TSCW/TWU) had its beginnings with the very first classes offered at the school The Art Department was among the first created when the school admitted its first women students. A young woman, Amelia B Sprague, who had already established a name for herself at the famous Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio, headed the fledgling department in 1903

During this time, china painting was a widely accepted avocation for men and women, so it was a natural step for colleges to establish departments of design where principles of art could be taught in order to provide some sort of useful training for young women This led to the creation of art departments to provide students with first hand experience in the fields of art and ceramics There were few ways a young woman with artistic talent could earn a living or put her education to use in the South Women were trying to better their condition, find dignified places in the working world, and to gain opportunities for better education. This was the philosophy of the President of Newcomb College and of the art instructors on the Newcomb faculty, including Mary Sheerer This is one of the differences between Newcomb and CIA Newcomb Pottery was founded as a commercial venture and studentmade pottery was meant to be sold, but the CIA Pottery was not sold (until many years later when collectors began to buy it on the secondary market)

I would love to know if Grayson County had any pioneer pottery kilns I think the soil was not good for clay pots, but perhaps clay was imported from Denton County by some industrious Grayson County settler If anyone has information on pottery made in the 1800s or early 1900s in Grayson County, please let me hear from you

Dr Georgia Caraway, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning Store hours are Thursday through Saturday noon until 8 p m She has written four Denton history books and has finished a 5th history about the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo that will be published in August She hopes her next book will be the history of Howe PLEASE SHOP LOCALLY. We can show you Howe!