Name/Title
JarEntry/Object ID
2011.11.1Description
Muddy brown alkaline glazed three-gallon stoneware storage jar. The jug has lug handles and a wide mouth. The original green glaze is obscured in some areas by mustard colored enamel paint.Context
This southern stoneware storage jug was likely made by the Landrum Brick and Pottery Company. Dr. Abner Landrum (1785–1859) opened a pottery manufacturing business in Edgefield, South Carolina, before establishing the Landrum Brick and Pottery Company in Columbia in 1832. These two sites involved large-scale production by enslaved laborers, including David “Dave” Drake (c.1800–1870s). Dave is the earliest known enslaved potter to inscribe his jars, which often featured his name, poetry, and verses from the Christian Bible. Scholars believe Dave learned to read and write while he was enslaved by Abner Landrum and Harvey Drake (1796–1832), using either the Bible or Abner’s Union-slanted newspaper, the "Edgefield Hive.” Beginning in the early 1840s, David Drake was enslaved by Abner's brother-in-law Lewis Miles (c.1809–1869) at Stony Bluff Manufactory. Following emancipation, Dave took Harvey Drake’s last name.
Upon Abner's death, his son Lineous (1829–1891) continued to operate the company with partners William Stork (1843–1900) and John Stork (1841–1915). John Stork, who married Lineous's sister, Juliette Landrum (1847–1887), later started his own pottery with his sons, Edward (1869–1925) and Robert Manning (1873–1954). Upon Lineous's death, Robert bought the Landrum Company and renamed it R.M. Stork Brickyard. The company was located less than five miles from Columbia on what is now Bethel Church Road and operated from 1991 until 1970.Made/Created
Date made
1860 - 1870Place
City
Columbia, South CarolinaDimensions
Height
14 inWidth
11-1/2 inDiameter
37 in
