Midcoast Region
20
Topsham’s Pottery Connection Collectibles contain a piece of Topsham by Charles Francis
P
ottery collecting is one of the fastest-growing hobbies today. In fact, it is so popular that it is rare to find many examples of pottery in the myriad of antique stores that one can find in most any Maine town or elsewhere for that matter. Pottery productions from the past, whether they be glazed vases, figurines, jardinieres, or kitchenware are in demand. So too are pottery frogs, alligators, turtles, kittens, rabbits, and birds as well as pottery apples and lemons. Two of the most popular collectible pottery brands from the past are McCoy and Shawnee. Both began operation in Ohio, the former in Roseville and the
latter in Zanesville. Today coffee table books are published almost annually on McCoy and Shawnee productions. Besides containing exquisite photos of particular pieces of each company’s work, the books also give current price listings. McCoy and Shawnee and other pottery brands from the early 1900s have a decided Maine connection, most notably a Topsham connection. Maine feldspar was a major component of a fair amount of the pottery produced some one hundred years ago, and much of that feldspar came from Topsham. In fact, in the 1920s and ‘30s, Topsham, with two mills and many quarries, pro-
duced more ground feldspar than any other town in the United States. Feldspar ground to an extremely fine consistency is almost universally used in manufacturing pottery, as well as wall and floor tiles. All pottery, except for earthenware such as flower pots, contains feldspar. It is also the chief ingredient in the fine glaze that is applied to the pottery. In addition, feldspar is used in wood fillers and glass, and because it is mildly abrasive, in soft cleaning preparations and soaps. The first feldspar quarry and mill in Topsham was that of the Trenton Flint and Spar Company of Trenton, New Jersey. Its operation opened in
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