Pottery: Red Wing Pottery
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Minnesota Potteries in Red Wing, MN Red wing pottery is valued for it's beauty and utilitarian design. Red Wing stoneware and pottery was decorated with a number of different designs: two leaves, butterfly, single 'P', double 'P', bird, flowers, boysenberry, and a swirling 'dropped 8'. Of course the most famous is the red wing design that so effectively connected the piece with the company that produced it. "Their early stoneware lines, Cherry Band and Sponge Band (Gray Line) are especially valuable and often fetch prices of several hundred dollars on today's market." (Huxford, 1994)

The larger jugs and jars are a light tan color with cobalt blue decorations (on some) and in about 20% of the cases, a signature identifying the company. Since other pottery companies may have made similar pieces, the signature definitively identifies a piece a coming from Red Wing.

The Red Wing companies made jugs, jars, bowls, mugs, spitoons, urns, cooking pots, flower pots and saucers, umbrella stands, bird baths, figurines, pitchers, milk coolers, lawn and cemetery vases and much more.

Some examples of Red Wing pottery and stoneware:

Stoneware jugs

Spongeware bowls

The Red Wing factories became the largest producers of stoneware in the nation in the last half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Early potters of Red Wing were hired from the East, primarily from Ohio. Some important dates in the history of pottery in Red Wing are:

• Red Wing Stoneware Co. 1877-1906
• Minnesota Stoneware Co. 1883-1906
• North Star Stoneware Co. 1892-1896
• Union Stoneware Co. 1894-1906
• Red Wing Union Stoneware Co. 1906-1936
• Red Wing Potteries 1936-1967

The Union Stoneware Co. was the result of a cooperation of the three pottery companies that preceded it. They retained their individuality, but joined forced to help them survive economically. This company served as a sales outlet for the Minnesota, North Star and Red Wing companies; stock was owned by each company in Union Stoneware.

The Red Wing Union Stoneware Co. was the result of a merger of the Red Wing and Minnesota companies. Incidentially, both those companies had been reduced to ruins by fires a few years prior to their merger. They both rebuilt and were back in operation quickly though.

The original Minnesota Stoneware building still stands in Red Wing, MN and is now filled with antiques, gifts and outlet shops. There are some historical displays to be seen in the building also.

Red Wing Potteries and Stoneware companies made both stoneware and pottery.

There is a Red Wing Collector's Society, formed in 1977, that numbers over 7000 people. Membership dues include a subscription to the Red Wing collector's newsletter that is put out 6 times a year. The Society has a convention in Red Wing annually in the summer. For information on the Society contact
Red Wing Collector's Society
John and Kim Key
P.O. Box 50
Red Wing, MN 55066

Membership is $15 per year and includes a 6 times per year newsletter.

References:

• Clay Giants by Lyden C. Veil, a 3 volume set from Wallace-Homestead Book Co. 1980.

• Red Wing Collectibles by Dan and Gail DePasquale and Larry Peterson, Collector Books, 1992.

• Red Wing Potters and Their Wares by Gary and Bonnie Tefft, Zimmermann Printing Co, 1981.

• Red Wing Stoneware, An Identification and Value Guide and Red Wing Collectibles both by Dan and Gail de Pasquale and Larry Peterson, Collector Books.

HWY 52, Oronoco, Minnesota
6 minutes north of Rochester

Open Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 5 pm. Sundays 12pm-4pm.

They do go on buying trips so call first if it is the last 4 days of the month or during the months of January or February.
507-367-2220