The History of Jugtown Pottery

Jugtown Pottery began in 1917, after the chance discovery of an orange pie dish by Jacques and Juliana Busbee, artists from Raleigh, NC. They soon traced it to Moore County and found, along with orange and earthenware, salt glazed wares being made by the local potters. Salt glaze wares, were produced by adding salt to the kiln near the end of the firing at or near the maturing temperature of the clay. At times these were embellished with blue or simple incising. The pots were almost entirely utilitarian. Here the Busbee's saw an opportunity to be directors in the survival of a then dwindling craft. As they began to find a way to market these pots, Juliana set up the Village store in Greenwich Village NY. later at 37 E. 60th Street. The shop was open by the first of 1918. The first orders for pots for the Village store were given to potters with their own wheels and kilns, Henry Chrisco, Rufus Owen, James Owen and J.W. Teague. These potters made the shapes that were familiar to them, the utilitarian pieces that had served their needs for generations. The Busbee's soon found that they wanted to go beyond the areas utilitarian shapes and glazes.

JH Owen repairing a clay mill

JH Owen candlestick

The first potter to work with the Busbee's was J.H. Owen. J.H. Owen, son of Franklin Owen, was born in 1866. It is not clear whether Franklin was a potter. M.L. Owens (who added the s to his sur name) recalled in an interview that J.H. Owen learned to turn under Pascal Marble, whose shop was south of Seagrove. In 1910 J.H. set up his pottery on the site which is now the Owens Pottery, owned by Boyd Owens. By 1917 he was making pots for Jacques Busbee. He turned, decorated and fired these pots at his workshop, as the Jugtown shop was not yet built. Purchased by the Busbees, the pots were then sent up to the Village Store Tea Room. J.H. Owen also made pots for his own shop. Many examples of these early orange and salt glaze with cobalt pieces have been found in the north eastern states. Some pieces bear the J.H. Owen stamp, a few bear the Jugtown stamp and are clearly from the hand of J.H. Owen.

The majority are not stamped, but are attributed by example of his distinct folk style. At the time (1922 or early 1923) that the Jugtown stamp was made, J.H. Owen began stamping his personal wares with his own stamp. Quite possibly the Jugtown stamp and the J.H. Owen stamp were made at the same company together. The two stamps are similar in style. This would also explain why fewer stamped pieces by J.H. Owen have been found

Charlie Teague was the second known potter to be hired by the Busbees. Charlie was born in 1901, the son of potter John Wesley Teague. He learned to turn in father's shop. He was the first potter to work on location at Jugtown in the brand new workshop built in 1921. Charlie was a skilled hand at turning and because he, like J.H. Owen, predated the Jugtown stamp, many of his first unmarked pots were sold through the New York Tea Room. Charlie and his wife Annie lived with Jacques Busbee for several years, while Juliana ran the New York shop. Annie did the cooking and housework while Charlie turned, their son Garrett was born during this time and remembers Jacques Busbee fondly. Charlie worked at Jugtown Pottery until 1931 or 1932 according to the recollection of Annie Teague. He died of pneumonia in 1938 at the young age of 37. Knowledge of Charlie's and J.H’s pots remained unknown until the 1980’s. Teague’s style is becoming more recognized, being different than either that of Ben or J.H.’s

Ben, Juliana and Jacques Busbee

Frogskin pitcher by Ben Owen