The Crossroads of Clay project began in 1981, under the direction of Dr. George D. Terry, then Curator of History and Associate Director of McKissick Museum. The project aimed to research the development and diffusion of the southern alkaline-glazed stoneware potter tradition which virtually died out in South Carolina in the early 1900s. This tradition came together in the Edgefield District of South Carolina and was derived from European, Asian, and African influences. How these influences came together and affected life in the lower South in the nineteenth century is the subject of The Crossroads of Clay project.
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The Crossroads of Clay project began in 1981, under the direction of Dr. George D. Terry, then Curator of History and Associate Director of McKissick Museum. The project aimed to research the...
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Dr. John Vlach discusses clay and lime glazes
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Cinda Baldwin discusses the importance of Edgefield stoneware
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Dr. John Vlach discusses wood ash and clay glazes and the firing process
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Dr. John Vlach describes Edgefield as a melting pot or "kiln" of three distinct cultures
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Cinda Baldwin discusses the decline of Edgefield stoneware
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Cinda Baldwin gives an overview of the alkaline-glazed stoneware produced in Edgefield
