DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Marshall Pottery of Harrison County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a man, a piece of land he may not have actually owned, and a whole lot of clay. W.
F. Rocker, a Kentucky native, founded the Marshall Pottery in 1895. The locale he chose had two things going for it — spring-fed water and vast quantities of white clay, the natural ingredients you need if you're going to make stoneware.
Whether Rocker had legal claim to that land, well, the record is a little quiet on that. The marker says the locale was apparently not legally owned by him. Apparently.
You kind of have to admire the audacity. He started modest, mind you. Six employees.
One wood-fired rock kiln. A mule-powered clay grinder. And one man-powered kickwheel for turning the stoneware.
Goods went out by mule and wagon, delivered across Texas and into Louisiana. Eventually Rocker sold the business. It passed through hands and was later acquired by a man named Charles Studer.
Then in 1905, Studer turned the operation over to Sam H. Ellis — born 1861, died 1938 — a blacksmith for the Texas and Pacific Railroad. Now, a blacksmith taking over a pottery might sound like an odd pivot, but Ellis took that stoneware business and expanded it.
He brought in several family members, added new products to the line, and before long the company had grown into one of the largest manufacturers of clay garden pots in the entire United States. That is not a small thing. Then came 1962, and fire destroyed a majority of the pottery facility.
But it was rebuilt. In 1974, a retail store was added, and the pottery operation was promoted throughout the region as a tourist attraction. The Ellis family held on until 1983, when they sold the business.
And here's where it all settles into something bigger than one man's clay patch. Most of the commercial potteries in Harrison County trace their roots back to the Marshall Pottery — established, as the marker puts it, more than a hundred years ago. One mule, one wheel, one kiln, and a piece of land of uncertain ownership.
That's what it took to shape an entire county's trade.
What the marker says
Kentucky native W. F. Rocker founded the Marshall Pottery in 1895. The locale, apparently not legally owned by Rocker, contained spring-fed water and vast quantities of white clay, the two natural ingredients needed for the production of pottery. The business began with six employees, one wood-fired rock kiln, a mule-powered clay grinder and one man-powered kickwheel for turning the stoneware. Goods were delivered by mule and wagon in Texas and Louisiana. Rocker sold the business, later acquired by Charles Studer. In 1905 Studer turned over the operation to Sam H. Ellis (1861-1938), a blacksmith for the Texas & Pacific railroad. The stoneware business was expanded by Ellis, who employed several family members. New products were added to the line of items made, and the company became one of the largest manufacturers of clay garden pots in the United States. Fire destroyed a majority of the pottery facility in 1962, but it was rebuilt. A retail store was added in 1974, and the pottery operation was promoted throughout the region as a tourist attraction. the Ellis family sold the business in 1983. Most of the commercial potteries in Harrison county trace their roots to the Marshall Pottery, established more than 100 years ago. (1996)