Haeger Potteries was a pottery manufacturer established in 1852 and based in

Kane County, Illinois Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora. Kane County is ...

History

Dundee Township HD - Haeger Pottery Plant 01

The company started as a

Dundee, Illinois West Dundee is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,686 as of the 2020 US Census. It is considered a far northwest Chicago suburb. West Dundee lies across the Fox River from East Dundee and Carpentersville. ...

brickyard along the Fox River in 1852, using clay from the riverbank. David H. Haeger, a German immigrant, became part owner of the Dundee Brickyard in 1871. Within a year Haeger was sole owner and had extended the business to include tiles. After the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871, Haegar shipped bricks into the city to help rebuild Chicago. By the 1920s the brickyard's production included teaware, luncheonware, crystal and glassware. At the

Century of Progress A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...

Exposition in 1934 in Chicago, Haeger Potteries' exhibit included a working ceramic factory where souvenir pottery was made. In 1934, Royal Arden Hickman (1893-1969) joined the firm to design a line of artware sold under the brand name "Royal Haeger". Hickman was the chief designer from 1938-1944. Items produced during Hickman's tenure are marked "Royal Haeger by Royal Hickman U.S.A. R-###". During the 1950s, Hickman, no longer employed by Haeger Potteries, contributed designs to the company as a freelancer. Haeger pieces have become collectible in recent years. The original Haeger Potteries Plant is found in the

Dundee Township Historic District The Dundee Township Historic District is a set of sixty-five buildings in Dundee Township, Kane County Illinois. Buildings in the district are found in East Dundee, West Dundee, and Carpentersville. The district represents the development of ...

. Haeger also had a plant in Macomb, Illinois, which has since been demolished. Alexandra Haeger Estes, great granddaughter of founder David Haeger, became president of the company in 1979. She announced on April 6, 2016 Haeger Potteries anticipated ceasing operations in May 2016, after 145 years in business.

References

{{reflist 1852 establishments in Illinois American art pottery Companies based in Kane County, Illinois