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The Dodges and Their Potteries
by Justin W. Thomas
“On the outer shelves was an array of crockery and earthenware,
the latter with an especial eye to country trade, embracing,
(from Dodge’s Pottery), capacious milk pans, pots for beans
or brown bread, jugs, pitchers for the haying field, and
white mugs that would hold a full quart of cider.”
T
here are many noted families that produced
red earthenware in New England’s 18th- and
19th-century pottery industry, such as the Parker
family in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the Osborn family
in Peabody, Massachusetts, and the Corliss family in
Maine. These families often receive high praise today
from collectors, museums, and scholars. It was once said
to me by a prominent Maine collector that attributions are
too often developed around these popular names, whereas
there are many more equally talented potters who are
rarely recognized. An example of this indifference may
apply to the Dodge family’s influence and production in
New Hampshire and Maine in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Dodge family red earthenware production actually
began before the American Revolution, when Jabez
Dodge (c. 1746-1806) arrived in Exeter, New Hampshire,
circa 1771. He grew up in Essex County, Massachusetts,
and it would seem that he was the first in his family
to enter the popular local potter’s craft. He must have
apprenticed at one of the potteries in Peabody (formerly
South Danvers). But that industry was already congested
with dozens of potteries manufacturing red earthenware
for the local area, with Salem, Massachusetts, serving as
its major market.
Many potters who owned a business during this period
did not aspire to be just another business or try to compete
with other companies that were already established.
Instead, many of them wanted to be a go-to source for
production with a booming economy, and Dodge may
have felt that type of success would have been better
found elsewhere.
Jabez decided to do what few Colonial Massachusetts
potters had done before him—he decided to leave the
state for opportunities elsewhere in New England. In fact,
he was in a way a trailblazer, opting to make such a move
three years before the important potter Peter Clark (1743-
1826) left Braintree, Massachusetts, for Lyndeborough,
New Hampshire. These were career and family-oriented
This 19th-century lidded jar, decorated with the word “STARCH”
stenciled in slip, was likely made at the Dodge Pottery in Portland,
Maine. This style of jar has previously been attributed to the
Thomas Truxton Kendrick pottery in Hollis, Maine.
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decisions that many trained potters from the
Peabody area and coastal Massachusetts would
make in the 19th century, but it would appear
that few dared make this decision before the
American Revolution.
Dodge migrated to Exeter, a town near the
New Hampshire seacoast, which was prosperous
before 1775, although its manufacturing growth
continued into the 19th century. Dodge was not
the first potter to see this opportunity in Exeter.
There were at least two other potters who had
previously relocated from Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, and the industry in Charlestown,
Massachusetts, before 1760. However, those
ventures do not appear to have lasted long.
Nevertheless, opportunity was not the only
reason Dodge moved north; he also married
Lydia Philbrick (1752-1826) from Exeter on
August 15, 1771. She was the daughter of Lydia This 19th-century jug was probably made at the Dodge/Lamson
(c. 1729-1776) and Benjamin Philbrick (1721- Pottery in Exeter. The form matches a jug owned by the New
1769), whose family later established the well- Hampshire Historical Society that is attributed to Exeter, circa 1840.
known Philbrick Pottery in Skowhegan, Maine.
Marriages among potters’ families were quite
common during this period in New England, where Lamson (1818-1900) gained ownership. Lamson was a
many shared the Quaker faith. The history of Lydia and potter and son-in-law who had been trained by Samuel
Jabez is a fascinating story to share today, since their Dodge and probably other potters at this business.
marriage was responsible for the establishment of two The vast majority of the artifacts recovered by
more important potteries after the American Revolution. archaeologists at this site pertained to the later production
The Dodge Pottery in Exeter, New Hampshire from the Lamson family, around the late 19th and early
Lydia and Jabez Dodge had 11 children, which 20th centuries, and included stacked flowerpot wasters,
included four sons born between 1774 and 1791 who utilitarian pots, and possibly objects that pertained to
were all active in the potter’s craft. Benjamin, Joseph, chimney safe production. But there was also a large
Samuel, and John were all trained by their father at the collection of black-glazed sherds and wasters, which
Dodge Pottery at 84 Main Street, which was located near were similar to objects produced at the industry in
the heart of downtown Exeter and the Squamscott River, Peabody. The forms included jugs, handled pots, and
a river way that was once utilized by ships to float cargo pitchers, which I would assume is a style produced in
to and from the Atlantic Ocean. Exeter that is often attributed elsewhere today. Some
There is not a lot of identified pottery known to of the black forms were even manufactured with a lead
survive from this business today, although glaze on the interior that appeared brown.
Massachusetts author Lura Woodside Watkins The business in Exeter proved to be somewhat of a
did visit this potter’s site before 1950 while satellite location for the industry in Peabody, which saw
researching her book Early New England potters from Essex County travel to Exeter in search of
Potters and Their Wares. Her findings were work. This business was also responsible for training
similar to what archaeologists from Strawbery a number of potters in the 19th century. Some of the
Banke Museum in Portsmouth recovered at the original tools from this pottery and part of the building
site of this pottery in 1994, when they received are still known to exist today, thanks to Henry Ford
a grant to preserve whatever artifacts they could (1863-1947), who purchased this material along with the
recover before the site was demolished
in order to build the bank that stands at
this location today.
The Dodges’ production comple-
mented what was produced elsewhere
in New England. Those forms included
traditional styles, such as jugs, jars, pots,
pans, pitchers, and crocks. Archaeolo-
gists also recovered the remains of some
slip decoration, but the extent of its use at
this business is not known today.
Interestingly, there were also a number
of colorfully glazed sherds that included
mottled glazes, a style of glaze that is
too often attributed to the 19th-cen-
tury Osborn Pottery in Gonic, New
Hampshire.
Ownership of this business changed
hands upon Jabez Dodge’s death in 1806,
when his son Samuel (1783-1868) took
control of the company. His brother John
(1791-1865) was also likely still involved
with the pottery, even though there are
reports that suggest he was involved
with family businesses elsewhere in New
England.
Overall, production continued as it This chamber pot was recovered from a 19th-century
always had done, producing the expected archaeological context at the site of the Hart-Shortridge House in
utilitarian forms. Eventually, this busi- Portsmouth. It was probably made locally at the Dodge Pottery.
ness underwent a name change when Asa Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department.
☞
Maine Antique Digest, February 2018 25-D
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circa 1751 upscale John Giddings house in Exeter. He
bought them for the historic Greenfield Village that he
built in Dearborn, Michigan, in the 1930s.
The Dodge Pottery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
As had his father, Joseph Dodge (1776-1849) decided
to leave home after he had mastered his craft to oversee
his own pottery. He acquired a company about 1796 that
Winthrop Bennett had established in Portsmouth around
1789. It is unclear whether Joseph first left Exeter to
work for Bennett or if he simply relocated for the same
opportunity that his father in part had relocated for about
1771.
The Dodge Pottery in Portsmouth was a multi-
generational company overseen by Joseph from around
1796 to 1849, and later by his son Jabez (1804-1884)
until at least 1864. He and his brother Samuel (1814-
1867) had trained under their father in Portsmouth, but
Samuel also reportedly worked at the family business in
Exeter.
The business in Portsmouth proved to be a major
local source of domestic red earthenware for well over
60 years. The pottery was conveniently located next
to a tidal inlet from the Piscataqua River not too far
from downtown Portsmouth. The location provided
easy access to transport wares by water and was also
located close to the center of town. Archaeologists from
Strawbery Banke Museum excavated the site in 1980;
findings were somewhat limited to small simple and
colorfully glazed sherds, wasters, and kiln furniture.
However, this pottery was given a much better definition
Sherds (right) recovered at the site of the Dodge Pottery in Portsmouth
match the milk pan (left) recovered from a privy at the site of the
Hart-Shortridge House in Portsmouth. Strawbery Banke Archaeology
Department.
when some of these artifacts were compared to objects mugs that would hold a full quart of cider.”
recovered by archaeologists in the 1980s at the site of the
circa 1760 Hart-Shortridge House on Deer Street, which earthenware flowerpot adorned with an incredible green closely resembles what was made in Portland. These jars
was located less than one mile from the location of the glaze and bands of incised comb work have also been are also known to have been stamped on the base with
Dodge Pottery. This middle-class-style house no longer recovered in Portsmouth, and they may also represent the either a number or a Roman numeral, which matched the
existed, but archaeologists did conduct an in-depth dig pottery produced locally by the Dodges. But it is important stamp also found on the lid. A somewhat comparable but
before the Sheraton Hotel was built. They discovered to note that a Dodge Pottery in Maine was likewise known completely unrelated form was also produced in England.
a group of privies associated with the home’s various for its vibrant green-glazed flowerpots before 1876.
periods of occupancy.
The archaeology has proven that the Dodge Pottery
A two-piece 19th-century green-glazed urn, decorated with
two lion heads, is marked by the Dodge Pottery in Portland.
Maine Historical Society.
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in Portsmouth was a major
business for the area, with
production that is often
misattributed today as red
earthenware made in Maine
and elsewhere in New England
in the 1800s. The recovered
forms included colorfully
glazed chamber pots, jugs, milk
pans, and pitchers, although
there was a collection of black-
glazed objects recovered that
were also probably made at
the Dodge Pottery, such as
porringers, small bowls, and
mugs.
Charles Warren Brewster, an
author from New Hampshire,
in 1869 confirmed some of the
objects that I just described.
His writing also preserved how
some of the wares made at the
Pitchers recovered from a 19th-century archaeological context at the site of the
Dodge Pottery were distributed Hart-Shortridge House in Portsmouth, these were likely made locally at the Dodge
locally when he published Pottery. Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department.
Rambles about Portsmouth
Volume 2 - Sketches of Persons,
Localities, and Incidents of Two
Centuries: Principally from Tradition and Unpublished landowner in Portland. He eventually became owner
Documents: of a tavern, where he may have sold and utilized some
“At the foot of the hill in Portsmouth, in the old of the red earthenware that he produced. In addition,
building, demolished ten or a dozen years this Portland-based multigenerational business has also
since, a widow lady kept one of those been the source of some confusion with pottery made in
little shops so numerous at Portsmouth southern Maine and in England in the early 1800s.
in former years. Behind the counter were Because of 20th-century urban development there
barrels and boxes of groceries, and upon is no surviving archaeology known from this potter’s
the shelves above, pins, needles, thread, business. But it is known that the Dodge Pottery once
and other notions, with slate pencils, nuts operated out of a brick building that burned in 1822.
and apples for the school boys. A cheese, Afterward, Benjamin built another brick building that he
whose excellence could always be relied used as a tavern as well. It was in these brick buildings
upon, occupied a particular spot on the that Benjamin and his son Benjamin Jr. (1802-1876)
counter, and near by, arranged upon a line, produced red earthenware near the waterfront in Portland
were skeins of yarn, stockings, gloves, for decades. Nineteenth-century advertisements from the
and mittens, taken in trade from country pottery placed in the Eastern Herald and the Portland
customers. City Directory suggest that the Dodges produced all of
“Among the older stock, were relics of the traditional forms of utilitarian red earthenware for the
a former day, mugs and pitchers adorned Portland area and probably locations elsewhere along the
with Porter, Perry, Bainbridge, Hull and Maine seacoast.
other heroes of the War of 1812, and that It is known today that this pottery did incorporate into
now almost forgotten personage, ‘Toby some of its production a stamp, which was usually placed
Philpot.’ on the base—“B. DODGE / PORTLAND.” This mark is
“On the outer shelves was an array of known on a small group of surviving jars, which closely
crockery and earthenware, the latter with resemble a lidded jar that is often decorated with a lead
an especial eye to country trade, embracing, glaze along with the name of a household ingredient
(from Dodge’s Pottery), capacious milk stenciled in slip decoration. Some of these jars were
pans, pots for beans or brown bread, jugs, also decorated with a marbled-type glaze. For decades
pitchers for the haying field, and white now, this style of lidded jar has often been attributed
without solid proof to the Thomas Truxton Kendrick
The remains of a remarkable 19th-century red (1827-1877) pottery in Hollis, Maine, but the production
Other known marked objects include flowerpots and
The Dodge Pottery in Portland, Maine milk pans.
Benjamin Dodge (1774-1838) left Exeter in search Flowerpots in various shapes and sizes were a major
of opportunity in Portland, Maine, in the 1790s. He form produced in Portland, and presumably much of
became one of the few potters who produced red the production was sold locally. The Maine Historical
earthenware in the region before 1800. Archaeology Society in Portland owns an important marked red
has proven the area was largely dominated by exports earthenware urn that was manufactured in two pieces
from red earthenware potters in Massachusetts. There and two flowerpots with attached saucers. These objects
are, however, also some reports that credit Benjamin were donated to the museum in 1886 by a local woman
with establishing about 1801 what is known today named Alice Stephenson. They were all decorated with
as the first 19th-century potter’s business in Maine, a popular vibrant green glaze, and the urn was further
but records indicate this is also when he became a embellished on either side with the busts of two lion
heads. This green glaze was regarded as special in the
1800s and was praised at the second exhibition of the
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association in 1839.
This type of production is referenced in part by a
19th-century document written by William Goold (1809-
1890) that was acquired by the Maine Historical Society
in 1928. Goold owned a general store in Portland that was
located near the Dodge Pottery when it was in operation:
“Mr. Dodge made progress in his Art. He commenced
to ornament the most expensive jars and pots, especially
water pitchers made to order, making them with the
initial letter of names.
“I remember one piece of ware made in 1825, on one
side of which was purported to be a likeness of Lafayette,
who was then the nation’s guest, and having initials of
the lady for whom it was intended on the other.
Here’s a closer look at one of the lion heads applied to “On some of the ware made by Mr. Dodge were attempts
the two-piece urn. Maine Historical Society.
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at the likeness of animals and birds in relief
and some modes in the glazing. Of those in
relief the legs and tails of animals seemed to
have been placed without due care. A horse
would have the forward legs of a Giraffe and
perhaps the tail of a cow. Cats had a severe
curl to their tails like the tail of a nervous
dog.
“Busts of people received more care. Most
of these were in profile. After the pieces were
finished they were set in another room to dry,
and it was favourite amusement with some
bad boys, whom the good men tolerated
notwithstanding, to disfigure the human
faces by drawing down the corners of the
mouths to produce a ludicrous expression.
This disfiguring, the potter did not observe
until it was too late to mend, and it was fired
in the kiln with the others, set away on the These two 19th-century green-glazed flowerpots were made at the Dodge
shelf, and sold at reduced prices.” Pottery in Portland, Maine. Maine Historical Society.
It is also documented by Goold (and by
some old handwritten letters which are
privately owned in Massachusetts today) that This 19th-century flowerpot is glazed in vibrant
unfortunately the elder Dodge suffered from green with bands of incised decoration. The pot was
“melancholy” or depression. This may have recovered in Portsmouth and may have been made
been the result of lead glazes. He eventually by the Dodge family. Strawbery Banke Archaeology
took his own life in 1838. It is also reported Department.
that Benjamin Jr. may have suffered from a
similar state of affairs when he died in 1876. Afterward, the
business was partially acquired by the Lamson family from
Exeter, New Hampshire.
The Dodges and Their
Contributions
It is unquestionable that
the Dodges were a landmark
family of potters, whose
foundation likely began
at the industry in Peabody
before the American Revo-
lution. This family ultimately
established the industry that
would materialize in Exeter
in the 1800s. The family is
also responsible for operat-
ing the two longest-stand-
ing red earthenware potters’
businesses in Portsmouth
and Portland, which were two
These 19th-century black-glazed handle wasters with brownish
major port cities during the interior glazes were recovered by archeologists at the site of the
18th and 19th centuries. This 19th-century jug and the jar were possibly made at the Dodge/
Dodge/Lamson Pottery in Exeter in 1994. Photo courtesy: Strawbery Lamson Pottery in Exeter, New Hampshire. The jug was discovered in
The number of potters Banke Archaeology Department.
that this family influenced is Exeter. The jar closely resembles another jar that was found in a basement
largely unknown. Neverthe- in an old house in Exeter in the 20th century.
less, the Dodges are an important name in what took place
along the New Hampshire seacoast and southern Maine. Their
production was skilled, often creative, and colorful.
The Dodges’ influence does not appear to have been lim-
ited to potters only. The poem Keramos, written by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), was published in 1878. Sources:
It depicts the story of a potter. It is believed that the Dodge
Pottery in Portland was the source of inspiration. Branin, M. Lelyn. “The Dodge Pottery in Portland, Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Keramos and Other
Personally, when I think about all of the popular potter Maine.” Old-Time New England (January-March, Poems. Boston: Houghton, Osgood & Company,
families that are so often referenced today, I also think about 1969). Branin later published some of what was 1878.
the Dodges and how much more they produced than what written in this article in 1978 in the book Early
is commonly known. The production in Portland may have Potters and Potteries of Maine. Norton, Frederick H. “The Exeter Pottery.” The
been the most artistic, but that skill originated in Exeter—a Magazine Antiques (July 1932).
skill that is also represented in the wares made in Portsmouth, Brewster, Charles Warren. Rambles about
which are occasionally recovered at 19th-century archaeology Portsmouth: Sketches of Persons, Localities Portland (Maine) City Directory, 1847-48.
sites along Portsmouth’s waterfront and the North End and and Incidents of Two Centuries; Principally
South End neighborhoods. from Tradition and Unpublished Documents. Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Herald, June 28,
Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Lewis W. Brewster, 1994.
1869.
Thomas, Justin W. “A Charlestown Sugar Bowl:
Eastern Argus (Portland, Maine), June 18, 1822. The Rediscovery of a Redware Masterpiece.” New
England Antiques Journal (February 2016).
Eastern Herald, (Portland, Maine), May 18, 1795,
and October 29, 1795. ———. “A Pioneering Potter: Samuel Marshall
of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.” New England
Edwards, Diana, Steven R. Pendery, and Aileen Antiques Journal (April 2017).
Button Agnew. “Generations of Trash: Ceramics
from the Hart-Shortridge House, 1760-1860, ———. “A Pottery Moves to New Hampshire:
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.” American Ceramic Peter Clark and his family in Lyndeborough.” New
Circle Journal, volume IV (1988). England Antiques Journal (August 2016).

Goold, William. Portland in the Past with Historical ———. “Digging Into the Peabody Potteries:
Notes of Old Falmouth. Portland, Maine: B. Archaeology and Red Earthenware.” New England
Thurston & Company, 1886. Antiques Journal (November 2017).

Jewell, Margaret H. “The Dodge Pottery.” Old- Watkins, Lura Woodside. Early New England
Time New England (April 1932). This was the Potters and Their Wares. Cambridge, Mass.:
first 20th-century document published about the Harvard University Press, 1950.
Dodges in Portland, Maine.
Here is a rare 19th-century stamped jar from the Dodge
Pottery of Portland, Maine. Dr. Mark Chaplin.
Maine Antique Digest, February 2018 27-D