Greenwood Pottery

View this page as a PDF     

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    1868-1931

Wares

Art ceramicElectricalHardwareHotel chinaTableware

Vitrified hotel china, hotel goods a specialty, dinner, tea and toilet ware in half-thick, decorated sets, knobs, lock finishings, electric supplies, etc. of vitrified ware, white novelties (Industries of New Jersey 1882:167)

Vitrified and translucent china, hotel ware and specialty items (Woodward and Hageman 1883)

“American China” (Young 1879:463)

Vitrified chinaware (Industrial Directory 1901, 1906, 1909, 1912, 1918)

Vitrified hotel china (Industrial Directory 1927)

Vitrified china (Industrial Directory 1931)

Notes

“On July 1st, 1868, a stock company was formed, and the works were improved and doubled in capacity.  Their manufactures are vitrified hotel china, and hotel goods are made a specialty. They make dinner, tea and toilet ware in half-thick. Decorated sets are supplied to order. An important branch of the business, and a comparatively new one, is the manufacture of knobs, lock finishings, electric supplies, etc. of vitrified ware, while novelties of all kinds are being produced and perfected.”

— Industries of New Jersey, Trenton, Princeton, Hightstown, Pennington and Hopewell.  1882. Historical Publishing Company, New York, New York, Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

Selected References

“The Greenwood Pottery Company.” Crockery & Glass Journal, p. 22, December 23, 1875.

Industries of New Jersey, Trenton, Princeton, Hightstown, Pennington and Hopewell.  1882. Historical Publishing Company, New York, New York, Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“The Growth of Pottery: Work of the Greenwood Pottery.” Trenton Evening Times, November 10, 1883.

“Greenwood Pottery Co., East Canal Street est. 1861, inc. 1862.” State Gazette, Juily 31, 1897.

“James Tams Dies after Notable Life as Potter.” Trenton Evening Times, November 12, 1910.

Cleary, J.J. 1932. “Greenwood Potteries.” Sunday Times Advertiser, May 1, 1932.

“James Tams, Dean among Potters.” 1938. Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society 17 (January):35-36.

Other firms at this site:

Other Names

Greenwood Pottery Company; Greenwood China Company

Block and Lot:
7C/15; NJ RT 26

Historic Street Address:
E. Canal St. near Grand; E. Canal St. near Creek; E. Canal St. on State St.; E. Canal near Mercer Cemetery; Canal near Creek; E. Canal near Grand Ave.; E. Canal near Clinton; 2 Canal near S. Clinton Ave.

Municipality:
City of Trenton

Image Gallery

1883 Greenwood Pottery (Woodward & Hageman
Greenwood Pottery c. 1900, Trentoniana Collection
Porcelain vase, 1883-1886. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Sansbury-Mills Fund, 1991
Bar Pitcher, press-molded porcelain, made by Greenwood Pottery Company, ca. 1900, 9.25 in H. On one side King Gambrinus, the patron saint of beer, offers a glass of same to Uncle Sam. On the opposite side, a Chinese card shark is being exposed and attacked by one of the men he is said to have cheated. The imagery is based on a Brett Hart poem popular in the 1870s. Pitchers such as this were used on bars for dispensing beer or water (to mix with whisky). The design was copied from a popular pitcher designed by Karl Müller for Union Porcelain Works, Brooklyn, New York. Collection of the New Jersey State Museum, CH1968.210
Bar Pitcher, press-molded porcelain, made by Greenwood Pottery Company, ca. 1900, 9.25 in H. On one side King Gambrinus, the patron saint of beer, offers a glass of same to Uncle Sam. On the opposite side, a Chinese card shark is being exposed and attacked by one of the men he is said to have cheated. The imagery is based on a Brett Hart poem popular in the 1870s. Pitchers such as this were used on bars for dispensing beer or water (to mix with whisky). The design was copied from a popular pitcher designed by Karl Müller for Union Porcelain Works, Brooklyn, New York. Collection of the New Jersey State Museum, CH1968.210
Teapot and cream jug, painted porcelain, made by Greenwood Pottery, 1880. Paper label on teapot: "Greenwood China / made by Jas. Tams / 1880 / and presented to / J. H. Brewer / for his collection", teapot 5 in H. The pair match descriptions of Greenwood wares exhibited to warm acclaim at the 1879 American Institute Fair in New York City. Greenwood is best known for its restaurant china, but the pottery also made a line of art ware called Ne Plus Ultra. Collection of the New Jersey State Museum, CH354.17

Map Gallery

Greenwood Pottery, 1870 Beers
Greenwood Pottery 1875 Everts & Stewart Map
Greenwood Pottery 1881 Robinson Map
Greenwood Pottery 1882 Haven Map
Greenwood Pottery, 1886 Sanborn
Greenwood Pottery 1890 Sanborn Map
Greenwood Pottery, 1890 Scarlett & Scarlett
Greenwood Pottery, 1905 Lathrop
Greenwood Pottery, 1908 Sanborn
Greenwood Pottery 1927 Sanborn Map
Map References

Beers, F. W. 1870  Map of the City of Trenton, New Jersey. F.W. Beers & Company, New York, New York.  (Shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Everts & Stewart.  1875  Combination Atlas Map of Mercer County. Everts and Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Shown as “Greenwood Pottery”)

Robinson, E., and R. H. Pidgeon. 1881. Atlas of the City of Trenton and Suburbs New Jersey: From Actual Surveys and Official Records.  E. Robinson, New York, New York.  (Plate K: shown as “Greenwood Pottery”)

Haven, C. C.  1882.   A New Real Estate and Insurance Map of the City of Trenton Including Chambersburg, Millham, and Parts of Ewing, Lawrence, and Hamilton Townships, Mercer County. E.P. Noll & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Shown as “Greenwood Pottery”)

Sanborn, D. A. 1874.   Insurance Diagrams of Trenton. Corrected to 1886.  D.A. Sanborn, New York, New York.   (Plate 10: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Sanborn‑Perris Map Company.  1890.   Insurance Maps of the City of Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Sanborn‑Perris Map Company, New York, New York.  (Plate 23: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Scarlett & Scarlett.  1890.   Scarlett & Scarlett’s Fire Insurance Map of Mercer County.  Scarlett & Scarlett, Newark, New Jersey.  (Plate K: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Lathrop, J. M. 1905.   Atlas of the City of Trenton and Borough of Princeton. A.H. Mueller & Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Plate 7: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Sanborn Map Company.  1908.  Insurance Maps of the City of Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, Volume 2. Sanborn Map Company, New York, New York.  (Vol. 2, plate 105: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Sanborn Map Company.  1927.  Insurance Maps of the City of Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Sanborn Map Company, New York, New York.  (Vol.1, plate 16: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

Franklin Survey Co.  1930.  Real Estate Plat‑Book of the City of Trenton and Borough of Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Franklin Survey Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Plate 17: shown as “Greenwood Pottery Co.”)

1870 Census

Name in censusGreenwood Pottery Co.
Capital Invested50000
Type of power 11 Steam & Hand Engine
Horsepower 130
Machine name 1Blungers, Grinding Pans, Pug Mill
Machine name 2Hydraulic Presses
Machine name 3Ware [illegible] Hand & Steam
Machine quantity 225
Raw material type 1Clay
Raw material quantity 1600 tons
Raw material value 19000
Raw material type 2Flint & Spar
Raw material type 3Coal
Raw material type 4Chemicals
Raw material type 5Total
Raw material quantity 2450 tons
Raw material quantity 31300 tons
Raw material quantity 425 tons
Raw material value 29000
Raw material value 37000
Raw material value 45000
Raw material value 530000
Male hands above 1650
Female hands above 1615
Children35
Yearly wages35000
Months operating8

1880 Census

Name in censusGreenwood Pottery Co.
Capital135000
Number of hands150
Males above 16100
Females above 1525
Children25
May to Nov hours10
Nov to May hours10
Skilled wages2.5
Ordinary wages1.25
Total wages in year53500
Full time months12
Value of raw material75000
Value of product117000
Number of engines1
Horse power25