The Wilson Potteries
The Wilson Potteries were a group of three nineteenth-century stoneware potteries in Capote, Texas, including H. Wilson & Co., an early African-American-owned business.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Wilson Potteries is the collective name for three related nineteenth-century pottery operations that worked in and around Capote, near Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas. Together they formed an important regional center for the manufacture of utilitarian stoneware during the second half of the nineteenth century. Their vessels supplied a broad area of Texas with locally produced containers used for storing, preparing, transporting, and serving food and drink. The group is especially significant because H. Wilson & Co., established after emancipation by Hiram Wilson and several other formerly enslaved potters, is regarded as possibly the first African-American-owned business in Texas. The first operation was the Guadalupe Pottery, founded around 1860 by Rev. John McKamey Wilson. Wilson had moved to Texas with his household and recognized that the region's demand for stoneware could be served by local production. The pottery was established along a tributary of the Guadalupe River on land leased from T. N. and Ann Minter. Its location provided access to clay, sand, wood, water, and other materials needed for production. Although Wilson had no known prior practical experience as a potter, enslaved workers in his household carried out the skilled manufacturing work. The pottery made alkaline- and salt-glazed wares, principally practical vessels rather than decorative ceramics. The Civil War and emancipation changed the business. The regional economy weakened during the war, and by 1866 Wilson no longer had access to enslaved labor. The original pottery ceased operating under its initial arrangement and was later sold to Marion Durham. Several of the formerly enslaved potters continued in the trade. Around 1869 to 1872, Hiram Wilson, James Wilson, Wallace Wilson, George Wilson, and Andrew Wilson established H. Wilson & Co. The men retained the Wilson surname but operated independently, producing stoneware on a separate site in the Capote area. The available historical record does not establish whether all of the men were biologically related or were connected primarily through their shared enslavement and work experience. H. Wilson & Co. developed recognizable production practices. Its wares were predominantly salt glazed and often had a dark interior slip. The pottery used thrown lids rather than the tie-down rims associated with some earlier local production and developed a distinctive horseshoe-shaped handle intended to reduce breakage. Unlike many contemporary potteries, it stamped vessels with the company's name, providing evidence of a deliberate maker identity. Production was seasonal, generally occurring between spring and early autumn because cold weather affected the working properties of the clay. The business ended after Hiram Wilson's death in 1884; the loss of his leadership and the reported scarcity of suitable clay were both possible contributing factors. Hiram Wilson was also a religious and civic leader. He became a Baptist minister, founded Capote Baptist Church, helped establish a school in Capote, and participated in efforts that led to Guadalupe College. After his death, James and Wallace Wilson joined the pottery operated by Marion Durham and John Chandler, two potters who had come from South Carolina. This later enterprise is commonly identified as the Wilson-Durham-Chandler Pottery. It produced both salt- and alkaline-glazed ware and used groundhog and beehive kilns. Its operation continued until 1903, when flooding from Salt Creek ended production. The three sites produced jugs, pitchers, crocks, churns, bowls, chicken waterers, and fat lamps. Their wares were made from fine red clay associated with the Carrizo Sands of the Wilcox geological formation. Manufacturing involved preparing and aging clay, mixing it with sand or silica, working it through a pug mill, shaping it on a kick or treadle wheel, and firing it in a kiln. Salt glazing created gray, blue, green, and brown surfaces, while alkaline glazing produced colors ranging from yellow and celadon to chocolate and brick red. The surviving archaeological sites are identified as 41GU4, 41GU5, and 41GU6 in the State of Texas Register of Historic Places. Archaeological surveys and excavations documented kilns, waster piles, tools, kiln furniture, maker's stamps, and thousands of ceramic fragments. The Wilson-Durham-Chandler site received especially extensive investigation in 2007 and 2008, including excavation and conservation of its groundhog and beehive kilns. The sites preserve evidence of industrial skill, regional commerce, African-American entrepreneurship after emancipation, and the material culture of nineteenth-century Texas.
History
The history of the Wilson Potteries begins with Rev. John McKamey Wilson's arrival in the Seguin area in 1857. Wilson had previously worked as a minister and educator and had moved west from Missouri. He saw a commercial opportunity in the high local price of imported stoneware and established the Guadalupe Pottery around 1860 on leased land near the Guadalupe River's Salt Creek tributary. The site provided access to clay, sand, timber, and water. Wilson's enslaved workers performed the skilled pottery labor, and the business supplied practical vessels to western and central Texas during a period when transportation and outside supplies were limited. The Guadalupe Pottery made alkaline- and salt-glazed stoneware. Its forms and techniques reflected a mixture of regional traditions. The vessels included practical storage and household wares, and the operation used a groundhog kiln. The potters may have learned from several itinerant or regional artisans, including makers associated with Ohio and South Carolina traditions, although the precise transmission of these skills is uncertain. Features linked to the early production include ovoid forms, slip decoration, particular handle attachments, wheel-thrown lugs, and thickened tie-down rims. The Civil War disrupted the area's economy and weakened the original proprietor's involvement. By the time emancipation was implemented in Texas in 1866, Wilson no longer had access to enslaved labor. The original operation was sold to Marion Durham in 1869. The transition also created an opportunity for several formerly enslaved workers to establish an independent pottery. Hiram Wilson, James Wilson, Wallace Wilson, George Wilson, and Andrew Wilson founded H. Wilson & Co. sometime between 1869 and 1872. Hiram became the leading figure in the enterprise, while the other men contributed to the skilled production of stoneware. H. Wilson & Co. operated on a separate Capote-area site, probably with a work shed, wheel, mule-powered pug mill, and groundhog kiln. Production was seasonal because winter conditions affected the clay. The potters extracted and stored clay before the production season, then mixed and kneaded it for forming. Their ware retained some features of the earlier Guadalupe Pottery but also developed a distinct identity. Salt glazing became the dominant surface treatment, dark slip was used inside many vessels, and thrown lids replaced some earlier rim treatments. A horseshoe-shaped handle was a notable design feature, and the firm marked its ware with a company stamp. Hiram Wilson's activities extended beyond pottery. He became a Baptist minister, founded Capote Baptist Church, promoted education in the local African-American community, and helped establish Guadalupe College. His death in 1884 brought H. Wilson & Co. to an end. Later accounts also identify the growing scarcity of suitable clay as a factor in the closure. James and Wallace Wilson subsequently joined Marion Durham and John Chandler in the later pottery commonly called the Wilson-Durham-Chandler Pottery. Durham and Chandler had migrated from South Carolina and brought knowledge associated with the Edgefield pottery tradition. The partners moved the manufacturing site closer to clay resources and the road between Seguin and Capote. The operation used both salt and alkaline glazes, as well as groundhog and beehive kilns. It continued producing utilitarian vessels until 1903, when flooding from Salt Creek ended the business. The three operations are represented by archaeological locations 41GU4, 41GU5, and 41GU6. A 1981 magnetometry survey examined the original Guadalupe Pottery site and identified evidence of a groundhog kiln and a possible pug-mill component. The H. Wilson & Co. site also retained a kiln and waster piles, although later looting damaged the remains. The Wilson-Durham-Chandler site survived in better condition and was investigated in 2007 and 2008 by the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University under contract with the Wilson Pottery Foundation. Excavation exposed both kiln types and recovered thousands of salt- and alkaline-glazed fragments, lids, handles, rims, jar components, kiln furniture, maker's stamps, and other objects. The remains were backfilled for protection after preservation work and the site received State Archaeological Landmark attention. The Wilson Potteries are important not only as manufacturing sites but also as evidence of changing labor and ownership patterns in Texas. The transition from an enslaver-controlled pottery to H. Wilson & Co. demonstrates how formerly enslaved craftspeople used specialized knowledge to pursue independent enterprise after emancipation. The surviving ceramics and archaeological deposits also document regional trade, household practice, kiln technology, and the adaptation of southeastern pottery traditions to Central Texas materials.
- 2008
Kilns and artifacts documented for conservation
[1]Investigators exposed the site's groundhog and beehive kilns and recovered extensive ceramic and industrial evidence before the remains were protected by backfilling.
- 2007
Archaeological investigation begins at Site 41GU4
[1]Texas State University's Center for Archaeological Studies began a detailed investigation of the Wilson-Durham-Chandler site for the Wilson Pottery Foundation.
- 1999
Wilson Pottery Foundation established
[1]LaVerne Lewis Britt, a great-great-granddaughter of Hiram Wilson, established the Wilson Pottery Foundation with other board members to support site preservation and education.
- 1981
Magnetometry survey documents early sites
[1]A University of Texas master's thesis project used magnetometry to identify remains at the Guadalupe Pottery site and examined the H. Wilson & Co. location.
- 1903
Flooding closes the later pottery
[1]The Wilson-Durham-Chandler pottery ended production after Salt Creek flooded its grounds.
- 1884
Death of Hiram Wilson
[1]Hiram Wilson died at age 48, after which H. Wilson & Co. ceased operations.
- 1872
H. Wilson & Co. enters production
[1]Hiram Wilson and fellow formerly enslaved potters were operating their separate company by this period at the latest.
- 1869
Guadalupe Pottery sold to Marion Durham
[1]Rev. Wilson sold the original pottery operation to Marion Durham, while several formerly enslaved potters pursued an independent enterprise.
- 1866
Original labor system ends after emancipation
[1]The Guadalupe Pottery's original operating model ended as emancipation removed the enslaved labor on which its production depended.
- 1860
Guadalupe Pottery established
[1]The first Wilson pottery began production near the Guadalupe River, making salt- and alkaline-glazed utilitarian stoneware.
Products and positioning
Regional producer of practical, locally made stoneware for household food storage, preparation, and service. The collective is also historically positioned as an important example of African-American craft production and entrepreneurship in post-emancipation Texas.
Utilitarian ceramics · 1860
Salt-glazed stoneware
Salt glazing was the dominant finish at H. Wilson & Co. and was also used at the other Wilson sites. The process produced earthy gray, blue, green, and brown surfaces. Salt-glazed vessels served household and agricultural purposes, including the storage of milk, meat, lard, water, and pickled vegetables.
Utilitarian ceramics · 1860
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
Alkaline, or ash, glazing formed another important part of the Wilson Potteries' production. Depending on the clay, glaze materials, firing position, and heat, surfaces could range from golden yellow and celadon to chocolate brown and brick red. The ware was made for practical household use rather than luxury display.
Stoneware vessels · 1860
Storage and household vessels
The potteries produced jugs, pitchers, crocks, churns, bowls, chicken waterers, fat lamps, and related vessels. These forms supported food preparation, preservation, serving, and farm use. H. Wilson & Co. also made thrown lids and used a distinctive horseshoe-shaped handle designed to be less vulnerable to breakage.
Recent events
- 2008
Wilson pottery archaeological sites receive preservation attention[1]
Other
Archaeological investigations exposed and documented the site's groundhog and beehive kilns, ceramic waste deposits, maker's marks, and other artifacts. The remains were subsequently backfilled to protect them.
- 2007
Wilson-Durham-Chandler pottery site investigated and conserved[1]
Other
The Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University began archaeological work at the Wilson-Durham-Chandler site under contract with the Wilson Pottery Foundation. The project documented the surviving industrial remains and supported conservation planning.
Sources1 sources
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