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Chapter III:
The Ware
NOTES
1. In 1970, Lanier's younger brother, Edwin ("Nub"), established his own ware shop on an
experimental basis, apparently impressed by Lanier's success. Edwin turned a few jugs and
pitchers plus an assortment of odds and ends —all marked EM —before abandoning the effort
as a "crazy idea;" seejohn Burrison, Georgia Jug Makers, p. 382.
2. See Harold F. Guilland, Early American Folk Pottery (1971), for a discussion of stylistic
changes in American stoneware pottery.
3. Iceboxes were in turn replaced by electric refrigerators after 1950.
4. Lard was superseded by commercial corn-oil products only during the last two decades.
5. Little luck was had preserving Irish potatoes by canning or drying, so farmers would
usually store them unaltered in a dugout bank or cellar. Arie's father, having neither, piled his
potatoes in the garden atop an earthen mound, which kept rain water from puddling underneath.
The potatoes were then covered with a layer of dry grass or hay, a second layer of dirt,
and finally a wooden shed. Beds of cabbage heads were similarly stored on a covered mound
for the winter. Barring frost damage, both the Irish potatoes and the cabbage heads generally
survived intact until spring: "They tasted a little earthy sometimes, but we didn't mind that."
6. Dried apples were incorporated in cobblers and, for those special occasions when the
preacher dropped by, in fried "moon pies." The family also made "beer" by soaking dried
apple peelings in water and afterwards adding syrup. In Arie's telling, the homemade brew
"was good, most especially when the cows were dry."
7. Pumpkin butter was also stored in fruit jars after being cooked with sorghum syrup and
spices. Generally, however, pumpkin meat was cut into half-inch rings and hung on poles in
the house to dry. Sacked up after drying, it was later restored by cooking in water. The
Waldrops ate pumpkin with butter or bacon drippings or sometimes as an accompaniment to
spareribs.
8. Hard soap was not commonly available until 1910 or 1911, according to Arie, and her
family did not begin using it until they moved to White County in 1912. At this time, they
also began to purchase Gold Dust washing powder, though "it wasn't much better than just
sand and baking soda mixed."
9. Burrison, Georgia Jug Makers, p. 306, notes that as early as 1849 potters were supplying the
standardized containers to whiskey distilleries.
10. Nancy Sweezy remarks that Cheever's work is "heavy;" i.e., that it is typical of someone
used to turning only large pieces. She adds that such potters usually find it difficult to create
small ware, as the technique is very different (some utilitarian potters saying it makes them
nervous to try delicate work). That may explain why Cheever was hesitant to try his hand at
smaller pieces and refused to create items with tourist appeal. (Personal communication)
11. In the early days, smaller vessels were considered more expensive to manufacture than
larger ones, since they brought less money but took up proportionately more floor space in the
kiln; today, this situation is somewhat reversed, because the small artware sells well at a
relatively higher price.