Louisville Stoneware, previously known as Louisville Pottery, is located in the Highlands section of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. Founded in 1815, making it one of the oldest stoneware companies in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, it creates fanciful

stoneware Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refracto ...

that is nationally renowned.VandeHe, Jim. "Kerry Describes Health Proposal" ''The Washington Post'' May 12, 2004, p. A08Nold, Chip. ''Insiders' Guide to Louisville, Kentucky & Southern Indiana, 2nd'' pp. 106–107 It specializes in decorating its pottery with

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

themes, but it has other themes as well:

Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...

, Primrose, and

Pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...

being examples. They can also create personalized items. Besides pottery, they have made bird baths and bird feeders.

History

The JB Taylor Company was founded in 1815 in Louisville, Kentucky. But it was not owned by John B. Taylor until 1938. In 1970 the company was sold and became known as Louisville Stoneware. The company still produces the stoneware. Some of the old patterns are still in production as well as many new designs. Some of the oldest patterns include Harvest and Vintage. In the earlier days, the artists were likely to experiment with different designs and you can occasionally find a unique treasure in antique/consignment shops. They also do many pieces on commission for company/event promotions, the best known being their pieces done to commemorate the running of the Kentucky Derby. They also did a pattern for Cracker Barrel Restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken and many more. The fun aspect of this stoneware is the different patterns and individual hand painted designs, such as Bachelor Button, Country Flowers, hummingbirds, 12 Days of Christmas, and Noah's Ark, as well as some decorative pieces including castles, birdhouses, pet dishes, etc. One of the better known potters to work for John B. Taylor was MA Hadley (

Mary Alice Hadley Mary Alice Hadley (May 11, 1911 – December 26, 1965) was an American artist from Terre Haute, Indiana, known for her earthenware pottery pieces with hand-painted images of farm and coastal life, which were sold by Hadley Pottery. Early life ...

), who started a company of her own. MA Hadley is very collectible and highly sought after for their varied and creative hand painted patterns.

Hadley Pottery Hadley Pottery is an American-based pottery and stoneware company started by Mary Alice Hadley and her husband George E. Hadley in 1945. It is located on Story Avenue in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. History Hadley Pot ...

had its inception early in 1940. At that time, M.A.Hadley applied her artistic talents to the making of a custom set of dishes for a cruiser that the Hadleys had on the Ohio River. The Hadley Pottery building was purchased by the Hadley's in October 1944 as a birthday present for Mrs. Hadley. Mrs. Hadley painted all of the murals on the walls of the building. From 1997 to 2007, company sales averaged $3 million a year. In those ten years, the business switched from a mostly

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

business to mostly

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

. In 2007, over 90% of their business was centered around Louisville and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, but internet and national advertising was expected to expand distribution.Slawsky, Richard. "Louisville Stoneware's new strategies shift from wholesale to retail focus" ''Business First'' November 24, 2006 In March 2007, Louisville Stoneware laid off most of its employees (38 out of 49), after which they retooled their visitor's center and temporarily opened a store at

Oxmoor Center Oxmoor Center is a Louisville, Kentucky shopping mall located at 7900 Shelbyville Road in eastern Louisville. History The 1970s Opened on February 8, 1971 on the opposing side of the Watterson Expressway from Mall St. Matthews, the mall ori ...

St. Matthews, Kentucky St. Matthews is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. It forms part of the Louisville Metro government but is separately incorporated as a home rule-class city. The population was 17,472 at the 2010 census, up from 15,852 at th ...

. In July, it was sold to Two Stone Inc., as the previous owner, Christina Lee Brown, wished to retire. The chief concept officer, Lisa Mullins, decided to increase the number of places that sold their stoneware from just one, Taste of Kentucky, to three additional locations in Louisville, and one apiece in

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, and

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. There have been plans to open stores in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Cincinnati, Ohio, and

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. Factory tours are available weekdays by appointment, with group discounts available.

Product

Clay used by the company comes from western

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and may be up to 250 million years old. Dishes made at the factory have been proven to be safe for use in

oven upA double oven A ceramic oven An oven is a tool which is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been us ...

microwave ovens A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce th ...

, and

dishwasher A dishwasher is a machine that is used to clean dishware, cookware, and cutlery automatically. Unlike manual dishwashing, which relies heavily on physical scrubbing to remove soiling, the mechanical dishwasher cleans by spraying hot water, ...

s, and can retain heat for keeping food warm.

Cultural references

Items from Louisville Stoneware are in the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. In addition,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

was presented a

music box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'') ...

made by Louisville Stoneware, given by the wife of Kentucky's governor

Ernie Fletcher Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician. In 1998, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th ...

, that played

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" is a sentimental ballad written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York. Foster was likely inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-sla ...

when the Queen visited

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

for the Kentucky Derby in 2007. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' singled out Louisville Stoneware as a business especially affected by the

United Parcel Service United Parcel Service (UPS, stylized as ups) is an American multinational corporation, multinational package delivery, shipping & receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company ...

strike of 1997. Uchitelle, Louis. "First, Big Spurt in Business And Then a Probable Drop" ''The New York Times'' August 20, 1997 During the U.S. presidential campaign of 2004,

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

gave a campaign speech on small-business healthcare insurance in May 2004 at Louisville Stoneware.

Gallery

Louisville Stoneware interior.jpg, The Visitor Center's interior Louisville Stoneware process.jpg, Display at Louisville Stoneware

References

External links