Cincinnati’s Rookwood Pottery
Strives To Survive - Again

This tile was made by the current Rookwood Pottery. It depicts a rook, or crow, on a curving branch. The bird and the branches are in relief. The glaze is two shades of light brown., The mark on the back has the famous flame logo and the words Rookwood in script, Timeless Beauty, FAIENCE. It is not dated, but it was purchased new in 2010.

The Rookwood Pottery Company, founded in 1880, was America’s premier art pottery company until it closed in 1967. Originally located in Cincinnati, Ohio, it went through several ownership changes during these 87 years; the final owners moved the operation to Starkville, Mississippi.

During this period, items were marked with a P, a reversed R,and flames around the two to denote the year of production. After 1900, a Roman numeral date was also included.

The Rookwood name and many of the molds were bought by Dr. Art Townley in 1984. He produced a few items on a weekend basis for a few years, and clearly marked them with his date of production. There was no likelihood of their being mistaken for earlier pieces.

In 2004, Dr. Townley began negotiations with investors to sell his Rookwood assets, which included the trademarks, approximately 3,000 molds, and hundreds of glaze formulas. The sale was concluded in July of 2006, and the Rookwood Pottery once again began operating in Cincinnati. Until this year, Chris Rose, one of the investors who purchased the Rookwood assets from Dr. Townley, has been CEO of the company.

A limited number of art pottery pieces have been produced, as well as some architectural pieces such as tiles.

However, there have been financial problems almost from the first and unhappy creditors forced this most recent incarnation of the Rookwood Pottery into bankruptcy.

Martin and Marilyn Wade purchased shares of Rookwood in 2007 and 2008, making them the majority owners. They took control of the board in December, 2010, at which time the pottery was more than $3 million in debt. Rose was fired at that time and Chip DeMois was installed as CEO. The Wades invested in new kilns and hired additional staff.

Since then, Rose and the Wades have been wrangling in court. As of July of this year, a bankruptcy judge threw out Rose’s plan to reorganize the company. At this time, former CEO Chris Rose is out and Martin and Marilyn Wade have taken over the operation of the company.

There has been some mention of a sale of part of Rookwood’s assets, to help re-establish the company on a sound financial basis. Meanwhile, some production continues on a limited basis.

The interesting saga of Rookwood Pottery appears likely to continue into the future.

Donna Miller

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Turkeys Rule At Thanksgiving Although Second
Choice As National Bird

Thanksgiving postcards picturing turkeys were popular in the early 20th century. This one was sent in 1909.

Think Thanksgiving collectibles and what comes to mind? Turkeys! What else? Maybe items picturing Pilgrims and Indians will be a distant second, and cornucopias an even more distant third. And there you just about have it.

However, if you want to collect for Thanks giving, there will be no shortage of items from which to choose, for turkeys appear in many guises. You’ll find most of them included in Thanksgiving and Turkey Collectibles, by John W. and Sandra L. Thomas (Schiffer, 2004.)

Here are a few. You’ll of course need a turkey platter - but probably only one. They’re large and not used very often. There are platters for every budget, from inexpensive Japan imports that will probably fall in the $10-$15 range to artist-decorated Blue Ridge platters, which will add a couple of zeroes to each of the numbers above.

There are decorative turkey plates, for display or for dining - the price range will vary widely here, too.

Your table will need some salt and pepper shakers, and you might add the Indian/Pilgrim duo here, along with a pair of turkeys.

If roasting the turkey isn't keeping you busy enough in the kitchen, you could make chocolate or ice cream in your figural turkey moulds, or bake a cake in a tinware mould by Wilton.

If you’d rather just look at turkeys, decorate your kitchen with boxes and tins depicting turkeys. There was a Red Turkey brand of coffee, a Turkey Brand Table Syrup, and Bell's Poultry Seasoning, all decorated with handsome turkeys.

Covered glass dishes as turkeys were made by many of the American glass companies at some time or another. Fenton, Kemple, Imperial, McKee, L.G. Wright, Boyd, Degenhart, Cambridge, Challinor Taylor & Co., and L.E. Smith - here’s a collection all by itself. The Irish firm Waterford also made one.

Pottery turkeys, while not as prevalent as glass ones, are also easy to find. If you want a really big pottery turkey, look for a cookie jar made by American Bisque, Nelson McCoy, Shawnee or Treasure Craft.

Turkey paper decorations made by such companies as Dennison or Beistle, candles made by the Gurley company, silk scarves, mouse pads, tiles - the list goes on and on.

And I haven’t even mentioned printed turkeys, from postcards to magazine covers.

The turkey lost out to the bald eagle in the early days of our country, when the two were in competition to see which should be our national bird. No less a personage than Benjamin Franklin supported the turkey: “For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen... He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly... For the truth, the turkey is, in comparison, a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America...”

Even though the turkey lost out to the bald eagle, he certainly has not been forgotten or neglected in American life.

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Indian Sally Bag Made Of Willow

A sally bag is the common name for the round bag used by the Klickitat Indians to hold and carry food, roots and other valuables.

The name probably was derived from sallow or salla, the British name for willow, which was used to make the bags.

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