Hide Article Text (OCR)
Pottery Era Ends HereByGREG PARKS A major part of Guernsey County industrial history ended last week when a fork lift operator hoisted the last skid loaded with ceramic tile onto a truck at the Oxford Tile Co. docksThe demise of Oxford Tile Co. here doesn't signal an end to area pottery operations, since Sunstone Corp., of Illinois, purchased Oxford's Plant 2 for the manufacture of ceramic liners for slow cookers. Oxford’s end does, however, mark the closing of a long industrial chapter in the county’s history.The downfall of Oxford Tile Co. apparently was caused chiefly by a lack of sufficient energy supplies,Ot the three physical plants which were part of the Oxford complex 011 Woodlawn Ave., one belongs to Sunstone, one isbeing leased by Fairmont Homes and the other is under purchase option to Fairmont, according to Robert Inwrance, general manager, who was sent here to liquidate the operation.In essence, “Oxford ceased to exist March 5, except for property holdings,” Lowrance said.BeginningsAccording to William G. Wolfe, noted local historian, the first pottery in Guernsey County was probably the one established by William Sayre and Walter White in 1819 in Richland Twp.After several years, the partnership was dissolved and Sayre established a pottery of his own on a farm near Gibson Station, just west of Salesville.Other small potteries also flourished in the 1800s.According to Wolfe, it was at the beginning of the presentcentury that the manufacture of earthenware products became a leading industry in the county.In 1900, Charles L. Casey, a Cambridge native, established The Cambridge Art Pottery Co., which was very successful; at the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, the company’s exhibit of art pottery and “Guern* seyware” cooking utensils received first prize.In 1909, the name of the firm was changed to The Guernsey Earthenware Co. and this name(Continued From Page 16)
Newspaper Details
Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian
Cambridge, Ohio, US
Mon, Mar 08, 1976
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Evelyn B.
NA, NA 29 Feb 2024
Other Publications Near Cambridge, Ohio
Cambridge Herald
Cambridge News
Cambridge Guernsey Jeffersonian
Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian
Cambridge Jeffersonian
