American Porcelain Works

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HOW TO USE THE DATABASE

The Database is organized by location, but you can find a pottery initially by searching for its name, which is at the top of the of the page with dates of operation below. Alternate names and the names of other potteries on the same site are noted at the top of the right-hand column, just above the pottery’s location.

The types of wares made appear below the pottery name in the left-hand column, followed by the references that informed these classifications.

Sample images of maker’s marks may be enlarged by clicking on the image.

Notes include a variety of information compiled from many standard sources and are presented as miscellaneous tidbits.

In the Gallery and Map Gallery in the right-hand column you will see historic images and insurance maps of the pottery’s facilities if available as well as historic advertisements and images of the wares made.

You can download more detailed information in all of these categories by choosing a PDF of the pottery’s full listing, which also includes the documentary sources. The PDF is text only and does not contain any images.  Data from the 1860, 1870 and 1880 industrial censuses area also included in the PDF if they exist for a given pottery. This data gives you a picture of the size of the pottery operation and the age and gender makeup of its work force.

You can help expand the database by contributing pictures and information. Contact POTS by the email address at the bottom of the page.

In operation    1899-1912

Wares

ElectricalHardware

Porcelain hardware specialties and electrical porcelain, porcelain doorknobs (Industrial Directory 1901)

Notes

This company was originally established in Corona, Long Island in 1863 as the French China Works. Products consisted of porcelain hardware specialties and electrical porcelain, also jet and brown door knobs and specialties. The pottery had a siding on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

— Trenton Board of Trade. 1900.  Industrial Trenton and Vicinity.  George A. Wolf Publishers, Wilmington, Delaware.

Selected References

Fitzgerald, Thomas F. 1899-1900.  Fitzgerald’s Trenton and Mercer County Directory, Together with a Directory of Bordentown, Burlington, Mount Holly and Lambertville, NJ and Morrisville, PA, Included a Fund of Information Concerning Public and Private Institutions, National, State, County, City and Borough Governments, Gathered from Reliable and Official Sources.  Thomas F. Fitzgerald, Trenton, New Jersey.

Trenton Board of Trade. 1900.  Industrial Trenton and Vicinity.  George A. Wolf Publishers, Wilmington, Delaware.

Fitzgerald, Thomas F. 1901-1912.  Fitzgerald’s Trenton and Mercer County Directory, Together with a Directory of Bordentown, Burlington, Mount Holly and Lambertville, NJ.  Thomas F. Fitzgerald, Trenton, New Jersey.

Robinson, Dorothy and Bill Feeny. 1980.  The Official Price Guide to American Pottery & Porcelain.  House of Collectibles, Orlando, Florida.

Other Names

American Porcelain Works

Block and Lot:
19E-2A/16, 35, 68, 75, 80, 86, 95, 237

Historic Street Address:
Murray Street corner of Artisan Street; Murray Street near West End Avenue

Municipality:
City of Trenton

Image Gallery

American Porcelain Works, 1900 Industrial Trenton (Wolf p. 81 top)
1907 American Porcelain Works Advertisement

Map Gallery

American Porcelain Works, 1905 Lathrop
American Porcelain Works, 1908 Sanborn
Map References

Lathrop, J. M. 1905.   Atlas of the City of Trenton and Borough of Princeton. A.H. Mueller & Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Plate 18: shown as “American Porcelain Works”)

Sanborn Map Company.  1908.  Insurance Maps of the City of Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, Volume 1. Sanborn Map Company, New York, New York.  (Plate 67: shown as “American Porcelain Company knob works”)