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62 Unlike many other potters who gauged a vessel's diameter by laying a stick across the cylinder's mouth, the Meaderses did not concern themselves with measuring this dimension. Remarked Cheever, "Well, no, [I've] got no gauge for making the width of 'em, wide, but... I made so many I can just tell." On the other hand, father and son did measure height. A simple measuring stick fixed to the back wall of the crib had along its edge marks for two-, three-, four-, and five-gallon sizes. Much earlier, the Meaderses had determined the relationship between the height of the unfired cylinder and the gallon capacity of the finished vessel as it emerged from the kiln. Secure wim this knowledge, they marked off the intervals on their height gauge (see fig. 19). As they pulled their cylinders to the required height, flaring the rim out slightly, they could be confident that the finished piece would hold the correct gallon amount, or slightly more. The measuring stick at some point had been broken off above the five gallon mark, so Cheever had to rely on guesswork when he desired to turn a six-gallon churn (figs. 21, 22, and 23). However, little if any of this size ware was being made toward his latter days. In turning large ware, both Cheever and Lanier tended to cut or piece their tops; that is, diey pulled meir cylinders up in two sections. Cheever, for example, in turning a four-gallon churn, would first run up a small cylinder wim an upper lip on it (roughly the top quarter of the completed piece), cut it off wim his chip, and set it to his left on die shelf running alongside the wheel crib. He then pulled up die remaining three-quarters of the churn, rejoined the top, and "welded" the two sections together with his tool. Tolerances, or differences in diameter between top and bottom cylinders, could vary by as much as an inch, since he knew the clay would stretch in the joining. According to Cheever, piecing was an accepted practice of longstanding among White County potters: That's a very common thing to a potter. They do that in order to get the top heavy enough for the churn to stand, to keep them from warping about in the drying. And to get 'em big enough. I seen my brother, Wiley, the Browns worked down here for my Uncle Bill [Dorsey], just about all of'em done mat. I wouldn't make a big churn widiout it. 2 Cheever had another reason for piecing aside from those mentioned, and Lanier simply followed his example: "It's just a habit I
Figures 21, 22, 23. Turning a six-gallon churn. (Photos from the film, The Meaders Family: North Georgia Potters.) Figure 21a. The clay ball on the wheel. Figure 21b. Centering the clay. Figure 21c. Opening the ball. 63
Page 1 and 2:
CheeverMeaders, circa 1933. (Photo
Page 3 and 4:
The publication of this monograph w
Page 5 and 6:
Editor's Preface In 1978, the Smith
Page 7 and 8:
when the pace of work and passage o
Page 9 and 10: Introduction This handmade pott'ry
Page 11 and 12: We made a commitment to document th
Page 13 and 14: E. Richard Sorenson seven months af
Page 15 and 16: pace. Thus, we arrived just as a ki
Page 17 and 18: them by pottery entrepreneurs. The
Page 19 and 20: ville to the lumber mill at Helen,
Page 21 and 22: well known to scholars, kindly prov
Page 23 and 24: The Meaders Family I remember very
Page 25 and 26: oad tunnel" kiln and a mule-drawn "
Page 27 and 28: Hall County, and several of the Whi
Page 29 and 30: crocks, cover them with a sheet, hi
Page 31 and 32: and the Meaderses. Around 1920, an
Page 33 and 34: to Arie and Cheever Meaders in litt
Page 35 and 36: Figure 6. Cheever Meaders and his c
Page 37 and 38: Joiirnal and Constitution mum i in
Page 39 and 40: Adanta and Asheville. Cheever's wor
Page 41 and 42: esiding in his parents' small cotta
Page 43 and 44: Work Processes Our approach to pott
Page 45 and 46: SHELVES o L WHEEL STORAGE TABLE WEb
Page 47 and 48: Figure 12. The pottery yard, 1967-6
Page 49 and 50: textured yellow clays in the other
Page 51 and 52: Figure 15. Lanier's electric mud mi
Page 53 and 54: ^///M/M$zzzn ty/W'""/"PZa Figure 16
Page 55 and 56: Figure 17. Crib assembly, showing b
Page 57 and 58: vessels turned to the same height a
Page 59: Contouring tools. (Photos by Ralph
Page 63 and 64: Figure 23a. Rejoining top and botto
Page 65 and 66: Metal pottery lifters. Figure 25a.
Page 67 and 68: would roll out short pieces of soft
Page 69 and 70: Like the Meaderses' treadle wheels,
Page 71 and 72: Figure 29. The bottom side of the u
Page 73 and 74: to handle the glazed ware very care
Page 75 and 76: the next (fig. 33). In general, the
Page 77 and 78: All of the traditional ware was pla
Page 79 and 80: from an earlier dollar-a-cord. As t
Page 81 and 82: squeeze the excess moisture out, an
Page 83 and 84: had been turned too thin for the cl
Page 85 and 86: while a prefired and hammered clay
Page 87 and 88: thin with a slight twist to one sid
Page 89 and 90: children would file out to the work
Page 91 and 92: with the previous night's whole mil
Page 93 and 94: Figure 39b. Bottom of the pitcher,
Page 95 and 96: Figure 40. A four-gallon churn comm
Page 97 and 98: 98 water and washed; then they were
Page 99 and 100: Figure 41. Three storage vessels: a
Page 101 and 102: 100 many as 300-400 stoneware fruit
Page 103 and 104: 102 large share of the potters' bus
Page 105 and 106: 104 form in White County is general
Page 107 and 108: 106 and the introduction of new lab
Page 109 and 110: 108 For her part, Arie Meaders has
Page 111 and 112:
Glazes A characteristic, though unu
Page 113 and 114:
112 Ash Glaze At one time, ash glaz
Page 115 and 116:
114 with this glaze, purchasing pre
Page 117 and 118:
116 melt at a relatively low heat
Page 119 and 120:
118 burns to a light or dark green
Page 121 and 122:
120 Figure 44b. Lanier's kiln, 1979
Page 123 and 124:
122 Lanier's kiln, 1968. (Illustrat
Page 125 and 126:
124 REBUILDING A KILN Pointing to h
Page 127 and 128:
126 With the supports in place, the
Page 129 and 130:
128 are kinds of people out there I
Page 131 and 132:
130 Cheever Meaders (1887-1967), th
Page 133 and 134:
132 1979 Cleveland, January 13 Robe
Page 135 and 136:
134 DIGGING THE CLAY View of clay p
Page 137 and 138:
136 Cheever throws, centers, raises
Page 139 and 140:
138 Lanier removes churn from wheel
Page 141 and 142:
140 Lanier pounds glass bits in oil
Page 143 and 144:
142 He bricks up front and builds u
Page 145 and 146:
Glossary Albany Slip: A riverine cl
Page 147 and 148:
146 is tied around die charm to sec
Page 149 and 150:
148 simply an accumulation of broke
Page 151 and 152:
150 To "shut down" die kiln: To cea
Page 153 and 154:
Bibliography: Published Sources on
Page 155 and 156:
Notes Preface NOTES 1. Byington, Ro
Page 157 and 158:
156 2. John Ramsay, American Potter
Page 159 and 160:
158 Chapter III: The Ware NOTES 1.
Page 161:
160 8. This technique is mentioned
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