From Teacups to Toilets: A Century of Industrial Pottery in Trenton
Circa 1850 to 1940, Trenton, New Jersey
Archaeological surveys at the site of a 19th-century industrial pottery off U.S. Route 1-known to contain contaminated soils and industrial waste-showed that significant remains of the pottery survived, but that traditional data recovery would not be prudent or cost-effective due to the level of protection that would be required. Creative, alternative approaches to mitigation were called for.
Hunter Research generated one component of the mitigation, a teachers' guide to the pottery industry entitled From Teacups to Toilets: A Century of Industrial Pottery in Trenton, Circa 1850 to 1940. This was produced to introduce students from fourth through eighth grades to Trenton's industrial accomplishments and offer a link to the city's not-so-distant past. It contains sections on the rise and fall of the industry, the process of pottery manufacture, entrepreneurs and workers, and products. It also contains a glossary, suggested activities for students, a limited bibliography and maps illustrating pottery locations, the movement of raw materials and final products, and pottery-related places to visit. Illustrations of potteries, workers, owners and products, primarily from historic photographs and engravings, are incorporated throughout the booklet.
For producing the booklet Hunter Research received an 8th Annual New Jersey Historic Preservation Award in 1998. The booklet is available to teachers free of charge from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
