Rob Neufeld

Columnist

Brown’s Pottery, circa 1926

Brown’s Pottery, “The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture” states, is “arguably the most prolific pottery-making family in the history of the American South.” According to family lore, John Henry Brown came from England during the colonial period and started the tradition. His descendants migrated to Georgia and made their name with stoneware featuring a shiny, green alkaline glaze, large pots and face jugs. From there, the family’s potters went in many geographical directions. Davis Pennington Brown and Evan Javan Brown launched Brown's Pottery in Arden in 1924 and branched out into art pottery. The Browns also became master kiln builders. Davis Brown — as related by his grandson, James Brown, at brownpotters.com — built the manufacturing facilities at Arden and designed and built the plant’s large kilns — beehive structures you could stand inside of. A crowd came to watch one being completed because Davis used no arch supports. Two years ago, Charlie Brown, the current owner with his wife Jeannette, launched a GoFundMe campaign to keep the historic Arden pottery going by making necessary equipment upgrades. Brown pottery is in major museums, including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, which includes two face jugs. The photo is by E.M. Ball, from the D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville.

—Rob Neufeld, RNeufeld@charter.net, @WNC_chronicler