Merab Favorite
Well, it's almost mid-April and we are still focusing on historical female characters for Women's History 'Month.' I mean, can you really limit the impact women have had on history to one month? I think not. This week, we'll learn about Mary Ward and the very lucrative business she created with river mud.
It was teenagers that first
discovered a unique, blue-colored clay was in the Manatee River near a Ware's
Creek swimming hole in the early 1900s. The boys first created marbles out a clay deposit nearby,
but the when local girls discovered the sediment, they sought it for more
domestic purposes -- pots and pans, dishes and cups. Unfortunately, even after
a firing, the dry clay easily crumpled.
But a group of women would soon make a living off of a better sample.
In 1914, a woman by the name of
Mary Ward settled on the northeast corner of Manatee Ave and 26th Street. She
came from New York with her two children, Helen and Jimmy. She was originally from Tennessee and
previously employed as an artist in the pottery business, but locals told her
there was no good clay to be found. As a recent divorcee looking to provide for
her family, Ward was not deterred. After exploring property on Terra Ceia, she
traipsed up and down the Manatee River inspecting every part of the terrain.
Finally she discovered a significant clay deposit at the 2700 block of
Riverview Boulevard -- it had been right under her nose the whole time
Production was done in the back of
a house in Fogartyville. One wheel was run by electricity, but the other three
were pumped by foot. Other than agricultural commerce and turpentine, Ward's
pottery business would soon become one of Manatee County's first commercial
endeavors -- ironically it was owned and operated primarily by ambitious,
single women, according to a 2011 speech to the Manatee Historical Society by
Nick Baden called Ward-Graack Pottery; A Brief History
of Manatee River Art Pottery.
On any given day, Ward could be
found in her home, operated the foot pump of her treadle wheel while delicately
shaping the clay with her hands. She
would then fire the piece at a very low temperature. Although she was an expert
at shaping, Ward's commissioned others to decorate her pottery. She employed
Miss Carrie Phillips to paint the pieces with Florida scenes. Carrie suddenly became "Caroline,"
(a change that would surely influence locals to take her art seriously).
Caroline's name appears on many of the relics left of Ward's work, according to
a 1969 presentation called ”Manatee River
Pottery“ by Mrs. Dowd to the Manatee County Historical Society
Candlesticks, bowls, vases and
bases of lamps were adorned with Florida birds, palmettos, and beautiful palms.
A body of water, whether it was a small puddle or rendition of the grand
Manatee, was exhibited on each piece. When the clay was removed from the river,
it was blue. But after it was fired it morphed into a distinct natural color
that was common to every creation. After
being painted, Denise Shields did the waterproofing, which was a concoction of
varnish and paint.
The low temperature of the kerosene
kilns was never high enough to reach a glaze; therefor the pieces were far from
waterproof, and served mainly decorative purposes. Still the popularity ensued.
While the businesses prospered,
other local artists were employed to ornament the pottery; Mildred Bollinger
and Frances Higgins also provided artistic attributions. Then a
"real" artist by the name of Mr. Ireland (first name unknown) came to
Manatee County from England. His
artistic expertise increased business even more.
Business was booming and Ward's
pottery was being marketed all over the country. At first, she'd scratch
"Manatee River Art Pottery," into the bottom, but later she used a
stamp. She set up a small shop in downtown Bradenton. Ward summoned her old
friend in New York, Henry A. Graack, to come down and help her expand after she
heard his pottery business was folding. The two worked together for a time,
then in 1921 Mary sold her interest in the Manatee River Pottery to Graack and
his son, Henry Jr. Mary then moved to Orlando where she started Orlando
Potteries that same year.
Experienced potters were brought in from East Liverpool,
England and Mr. Hunt from the Rookwood Pottery in Ohio. There were six artists
at the pottery including Joseph Nash, Andrew De Vries and Panos Booziotes all
graduates of the Art Institute of Chicago and T. Riggs of the Art Students
League of New York
The Graacks changed the name of the pottery to Graack
Pottery and continued production in Braidentown with plans for national
distribution. A few years later the Graacks left the city. Henry Senior
returned to Denmark and Henry Junior to New York City.
Today a collection of Ward and Graacks work is displayed at
the Manatee Village Historical Park and local collectors still seek her works
at antique shows, paying as much as $800 for a well preserved piece.
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