Antique Stoneware Syrup Pitcher
Antique stoneware pitcher with pewter lid. HEAVILY crazed (see photos) with crane print. No chips or cracks anywhere. Stamped “Bennett’s Patent Jan. 20, 1878.8.5” tall & weighs a little over 1lbBennett, a native of England, started his small pottery in the mid-1800’s in Baltimore. It was one of the first industrial potteries south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The Markey Creek area was the source of tremendously of the clays used at the pottery. During the Civil War, Bennett employed more than 100 men and boys and produced around 3,000 pieces a week. They made a wide range of lines, from inexpensive yellow-glazed kitchenware to fine porcelain, similar to Irish Belleek. Over the years, the family-owned pottery experienced several name changes. The Depression took its toll and they were forced to file for bankruptcy. In 1936, Bennett Pottery finally closed.