…taken at the pottery museum in North Carolina. I apologize for the rather
poor quality of the second one. But I really liked this model of a pottery kiln,
because it is very similar to the one at Conner Prairie in the 1836 Village.
The wood shed in front of a ground-hog kiln. (Ground-hog meaning it’s built
into the side of a hill or slope, and the potter crawls in on all fours to load it,
oftentimes, not being able to stand up once inside.)
Whether or not it still exists, however, I don’t know. Alot of changes have
been made since my days there. The potters’ house has been torn down.
Maybe even the shop and kiln, too. Rumor has it that the plan is to move
the whole operation to the “hands-on” area. It’s all a real travesty, IMO.
The potters were most representative of early settlers in Indiana: they either
farmed or practiced a trade and lived simply. They were the true early Hoosiers!
NOTE: After writing this earlier today, I called my pal Larry, Master Potter
out at Conner Prairie, in order to get the latest scoop. The potters’ shop
and kiln still stand! HUZZAH!
However, yes, there has been talk about moving it elsewhere, but nothing
has happened yet. Time will tell. Nothing so certain as change, I guess.
NOTE: All photos taken by Carolina M Capehart
