Site of Old Potter's Shop

The fine, white clay mined near here was used at this shop from the 1840s to 1912 to make pitchers, jars, crocks, churns, flower pots, and ornamental urns, which were used locally and shopped out of county. In the 1870s the shop, built by Alberry Johnson, was a major industry in Pottersville (later Oletha) Wm. C. Knox later bought the plant and hired J. L. Stone as the chief artisan. John Fowler then became owner and was joined by his son E. J. Fowler about 1900. Men dug kaolin clay from pits and hauled it to the plant, where mules provided labor to grind the clay to powder and it was fashioned into ceramics. Historically, kaolin -- still mined today from the deposits nearby -- has been used to make fine porcelain and china. It ranks with gas, oil, and stone as a major commercial resource in Limestone County. During the 19th century, vast natural resources throughout the state were creating new enterprises. Cattle and cotton headed the list of products, which also included lumber, iron ore, stone, and salt, as well as finished articles such as cloth, iron kettles, soap, flour, brick, and matches. These businesses, although crude and not of the "luxury" type, initiated the industrial growth of Texas. (1967)

Site of Old Potter's Shop is a historical marker in Thornton, Limestone County, dedicated in 1967. It is one of 67 historical markers documented in Limestone County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 187 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.3673, -96.4385 near Thornton. The nearest cataloged historic site is Pottershop (cemetery), about 1.0 miles away. Others within a short drive include Connell, Ferguson Cemetery, and Site of Oletha Common School.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5293003784. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.