Alabama

The westward expansion of the South during the nineteenth century brought many potters into Alabama from Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. More than two hundred potters worked during the1800s. By the 1980s, only five traditional potteries were active. Among the best known is the Boggs family. The Boggs Pottery is one of the leading producers of unglazed garden ware in the region. The Miller family also has deep roots in the area, turning pots by the 1860s. In 1981, Ralph Miller was working at Boggs Pottery and today other family members work in nearby Bibb County.

In Alabama, Albany slip was preferred over alkaline glazes. Easier to use and more consistent during the firing, Albany slip remained popular in Mississippi and Alabama throughout the twentieth century. Albany slip pottery was produced for over sixty years by Norman Smith of Perry County. Potters like Smith worked in relative isolation, continuing to produce practical wares for rural neighbors and occasional tourists. Georgia journeyman potter Horace “Jug” Brown came to Alabama in 1935 after working for the Stewart Pottery in Mississippi. Horace Brown’s son Jerry continues the family tradition and produces a wide range of traditional glazed pottery.