The Pottery Tradition of Seagrove, North Carolina

By Earl Hunsinger

One of the oldest art forms known to man probably didn’t start out as art at all. For thousands of years, people have been fashioning utilitarian objects out of clay. Somewhere along the line, some skilled craftsman realized that these ceramic objects could be both usable and beautiful. This general description of the history of pottery applies in miniature to the history of a small region in North Carolina.

The small community of Seagrove can be found in Randolph County. Although the pottery community that has grown up in this area is centered on Seagrove, it includes parts of Randolph, Moore, Montgomery, and Lee counties. In all, over ninety potters presently call this area home.

Archeological evidence shows Native Americans living in the Piedmont region of North Carolina commonly created pottery almost 1,000 years ago. European settlers began using the naturally occurring clay of the region to make pottery sometime later. Although no one is sure of who threw the first pot, or when, it is believed that the Seagrove pottery tradition began sometime in the mid-eighteenth century, long before the Revolutionary War. The first piece created was undoubtedly used for some utilitarian purpose. It was probably fired in a ground hog kiln, which the potter made himself, and glazed with a transparent glaze. With only a few ups and downs, the quantity and quality of the pottery made in the area has increased ever since. In 1983, the Museum of NC Traditional Pottery paid $6,200 for the first piece of antique pottery to be put into its permanent collection. The piece is called the Randolph Plate, because it is believed to have originated in Randolph County. It is a beautifully decorated slipware plate with a diameter of thirteen inches. Experts say that it was made sometime in the late 1700s.

Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, much of the pottery made in the area was glazed utilitarian pieces. These included kitchenware, churns, milk crocks, jars for storing food, and whiskey jugs. When the stills closed in the early 1900s, the market for whiskey jugs dried up. At about the same time, glass containers began to take the place of stoneware milk and food containers. As a result, some potteries closed their doors during this period.

Around 1920, the industry began to revive when some potters saw an opportunity in the resort area of nearby Pinehurst, North Carolina. While the resort’s visitors had no great need for the utilitarian items that had traditionally been made in the area, they were interested in vases, pitchers, and other decorative items. Some even began bringing pictures of what they liked, which the Seagrove potters used as patterns for new designs. Other potters found a niche market by preserving the folk art of the region, or re-creating various traditional techniques.

At present, tens of thousands of people visit this small central North Carolina community every year. They come because of a tradition that goes back over 200 years; a tradition that is being preserved by over 90 potters, some of which represent the eighth or ninth generation of a family of potters. They often come because buying a piece, or a set, of Seagrove pottery is a part of their family’s tradition. They come because they recognize that in this modern age of mass-produced merchandise, a hand thrown piece of pottery represents a link to history and tradition. And they come because they realize that an object can be both usable and beautiful.