Any passionate pottery person already knows about Seagrove, NC. For some 240 years pottery has been taking shape in this lovely and vibrant town. Many of the first Seagrove potters were English and German immigrants, and they primarily produced functional, glazed earthenware. Due to the high quality of the local clay, the Plank Road passing through the town, and, later, the railroad, Seagrove became known for its pottery.

So, about the tour. I was honored to have a group of 8 women from all across the USA,  Europe and Canada on this tour. Interestingly, most confessed to NOT having a particular knowledge or liking for pottery. Well that changed by the end of the day. Our journey from Raleigh took us through Cary, Apex, Pittsborough, Siler City, and Asheboro North Carolina. Upon arrival we headed to the North Carolina Pottery Center where we were greeted and provided a brief tour of this wonderful facility. Anyone going to Seagrove for the first time should start out here for sure.

Our pottery shop stops included some of the most famous in Seagrove. Owens, Jugtown and Phil Morgan Pottery. We were very fortunate to have met Ben Owens, Phil Morgan and several family potters from Jugtown. The warmth, friendly atmosphere and demonstrations which we were privy to really showed why Seagrove has experienced such a resurgence in guest traffic in Seagrove. We thoroughly enjoyed an outstanding lunch cooked and served to us by the Westmore Family restaurant. The Kennedy family has turned this stop on the side of the Pottery Highway into a must visit eatery.

A little more about Seagrove. Thanks for checking out my BLOG. Come back to visit and read what is happening in Piedmont life and tourism soon.

Seagrove’s pottery tradition dates back to the 1700s, before the American Revolution. Many of the first Seagrove potters were English and German immigrants, and they primarily produced functional, glazed earthenware. Due to the high quality of the local clay, the Plank Road passing through the town, and, later, the railroad, Seagrove became known for its pottery.

The popularity of Seagrove pottery was severely reduced due to the Industrial Revolution and the advent of modern food preparation. For a time whisky jugs were a successful source of income, but the beverage was outlawed and potteries continued their decline in the early 1900s.

The potteries struggled until around 1920, when they became popular with Northern tourists visiting nearby Pinehurst. The new tourist industry marked a general change from utilitarian pottery to more decorative ware.

After another decline from the 1950s through 1970s a renewed interest in traditional pottery was beginning to sweep the area, and in 1982 a group of concerned individuals founded the North Carolina Museum of Traditional Pottery and organized the Seagrove Pottery Festival, an annual event held each year the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The Cole, Auman, Owen, Teague, and Albright families are eighth- and ninth-generation potters in Seagrove who continue this tradition.

Some of the oldest, historic pottery locations still in operation include the “Original” Owens Pottery founded in 1895^[5] and Jugtown Pottery founded in 1921^[6]. Jugtown is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Check out these links below for additional information.

http://www.discoverseagrove.com/default.asp 

http://www.ncpotterycenter.com/

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