FAHRENHEIT 2300 by Crocker Farm

Jon Kay, the director of Traditional Arts Indiana, recently launched a great new podcast called Artisan Ancestors. Jon describes it as a “podcast where I explore ways to research and understand the past,” and he does just that, talking to professors, researchers, authors, and scholars about American decorative arts. A couple of weeks ago, Jon interviewed me about Crocker Farm, our stoneware-related research, and the Commeraw project. If you’re at all interested in any of those topics, and you can put up with listening to me talk for twenty minutes or so, you might want to give it a listen. I think you may find it interesting.

(For those completely new to this sort of thing, a podcast is essentially an internet radio broadcast; it just takes a click of the mouse to listen.)

Click here to check it out.

(Once there, simply click the play button or the “Play in new window” link on the left-hand side of the page to start listening.)

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have purchased the historic Gorsuch Barn in Sparks, Maryland, as our new headquarters and auction venue. The Gorsuch Barn was built in 1841 for John M. Gorsuch, a prominent Maryland landowner who farmed wheat and corn off of his hundreds of acres of land near Glencoe Village, Maryland. A stone barn, it was decorated with what has been called “the finest example in Maryland of brick louvers set in native stone.” The striking red brick louvers, or vents, were placed into the structure in what is often called a “sheaf of wheat” pattern. It was the theft of wheat from the Gorsuch farm that ultimately resulted in the famous Christiana Riot of 1851, in which the barn’s then-owner, Edward Gorsuch, was killed by a group of free blacks in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Gorsuch had attempted to reclaim slaves who had presumably stolen his wheat and then fled his farm, but the bloodshed that resulted helped further divide the nation over the issue of slavery and fomented anger amongst Southerners, including Baltimorean John Wilkes Booth, a close friend and classmate of Gorsuch’s son. Though it took place almost a decade before the conflict of the same name, the Christiana Riot was described in one newspaper headline as “the first blow” of “Civil War.”

We are thrilled to be able to acquire this historic property, and are in the process of converting it into a first-class auction facility. Our intention is to make the Gorsuch Barn the auction home for stoneware and redware in the United States. Our address is now 15900 York Road, Sparks, MD 21152, which is located just off of Interstate 83, about thirty minutes south of our old auction location at the York Expo Center. As we prepare our new building for its grand opening, we are also, of course, gearing up for our Fall 2010 auction, and will be loading our first photos of featured lots onto the website on Wednesday, September 8. We will soon be firming up the exact date.

We cannot emphasize strongly enough the unique opportunity that our first auction in our new building will present for you to showcase your stoneware and redware. If you are considering selling your pottery, we feel that this inaugural auction, presented in an atmosphere that we have never before been able to achieve at our previous locations, will attract a record-breaking crowd of serious bidders. Please feel free to contact us for a free evaluation of your pottery. Our seller’s commission is still 11%.

Stay tuned to our website for more exciting news as Crocker Farm continues to grow, and, as always, if we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to call or email us. Thank you all for your support over the many years, and we look forward to the future in our new home!

Last August, when my father, brother, and I, traveled down to Ft. Worth, Texas, to take possession of Mr. Young’s collection, an interesting stoneware harvest jug sitting on his living room table caught my eye. According to Young’s daughter, it had been purchased by Mr. Young at an antiques show in New York City during the early 1990′s, where it had been erroneously described as a piece of Indian pottery.

The form of the jug itself was in the typical domed or beehive style characteristic of 19th century American stoneware harvest jugs. Yet the vessel was made extraordinary by the addition of a large applied rattlesnake, which curved around the body of the vessel and formed its handle. I was really taken with the look of the snake. The style was different than that of the Kirkpatrick brothers, who produced the majority of 19th century stoneware snake jugs. The head was not executed in the usual flattened, closed-mouth form characteristic of the Kirkpatricks’ work. Instead, the animal assumed an almost comical expression, as its large open mouth curved into a slight smile, exposing numerous applied teeth. The creature’s body was further embellished with numerous slashes of brushed Albany slip, and its tail ended in a thin rattle. I believe the jug was possibly made in the Midwest, where the majority of harvest jugs and snake vessels were produced during the 19th century. Yet the subject matter suggests it is more likely a product of the Southcentral U.S., possibly Texas, where the rattlesnake was a very familiar animal.

While cataloging this piece, I was wondering about its unusual form. The vast majority of harvest jugs known have two spouts, one on each side. One spout, which was larger than the other, was designed for pouring liquid into the vessel. A smaller spout on the opposite side was designed for pouring liquid out of the jug. This harvest jug, however, only had one spout, and nothing on the other side. As I studied the jug, I noticed a hole inside the back of the snake’s mouth. Seeing that the snake’s head rested on the jug’s finial, I wondered if the hole might connect through the finial to the interior of the vessel. I decided to do a test with water. After pouring a small amount of water into the tubular spout on the jug’s side, I carefully leaned the jug over a sink. Voila! The water began to flow from the snake’s mouth! Hence, a smaller,

pouring spout did exist on this jug. . . only in the form of the snake’s head!

I am impressed with the ingenuity of this jug’s potter, whoever the person was. By the addition of a clay snake, he created a handle and a pouring spout, as well as significant decorative appeal to an otherwise simple form. I, for one, am sold on the piece! We’ll see what the bidders think on January 30th.