HISTORY OF THE
CLAY WORKING INDUSTRY
IN
THE UNITED STATES
BY
HEINRICH RIES, Ph.D
AND
HENRY LEIGHTON, A.B.
VERMONT
! The first record found of a clay working plant in Vermont refers to a
pottery begun in Bennington in 1793 by Norton Brothers, which started
with the manufacture of red earthenware and in 1800 made stoneware."
! The kaolin bed at Monkton was known as early as 1810, and in that
year a company was formed to utilize it in porcelain manufacture. A
particular account of this bed was given in the “Literary Philosophical
Repertory,” 1813-1815. Another pottery was established in 1812 in
Middlebury by Caleb Farrar for the manufacture of earthenware and white
ware. The Bennington pottery previously referred to was still being
operated by Norton and Fenton in 1839, and in 1846 this firm began to
manufacture yellow, white, and Rockingham ware. It was in this year and
that this plan at the first Parian ware in United States was made. The
assumption is that the Monkton kaolin was used for these wares. In 1847
Lyman and Fenton established a pottery at Bennington, being the first
American factory to make figures of men and animals of soft paste. In the
first report of the geology of Vermont, 1845, is an account of Mr. Fenton's
experiment in using feldspar is his wares and of some of his improvements
in kiln design which he would take out no patents. He had just erected a
large plant and had already turned me out $20,000 worth of pottery."
! In the same article kaolin is noted as occurring at East Dorset,
Rutland, South Wallingford, Chittenden, Brandon and Monkton, the clay at
the latter being derived from graphic granite, no mention was made of its
use. During the year 1843 40 tons of was taken from the Monkton beds
and sold in Burlington at $0.40 per ton. In Adams’ Second Report the