The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-14

care to- but offered no objections to
the younger men making the venture
and in the north wing OF the Norton
pottery, Mr. Fenton, julius Norton
and Henry Hall started the manufac-
ture of Parian ware. 1t Is hard
porcelain and took its name from the
resemblance TO Parian marble. They
brought John Harrison from England
to do their first modelling.
AT the end of a year Mr.. Hall with
drew from the firm and julius Norton
returned with his father and Edward
Norton. Then Mr. Fenton with A. F..
Lyman went across the river and
built pottery on the site Of the pres
ent Graded School building, Judge
Norton advancing a certain sum for
the project. 1t was known as the u.
S. pottery. Their property extended
across what is now School street to
the point a little east Of the North
street bridge, where the river and lit
tic brock come together | am told
the first bridge across the river on
North street was q covered bridge
and that there are less than six peo-
pie in the village today who recall
seeing it. What is now School street
and the land to the point were piled
high with slabs and it required what
was described as a small army of men
to draw these slabs down from the
mountains and work them into suit
able lengths for firing the six kilns
The first bridge on pottery street was
built for the accommodation of this
pottery,
Workmen came from the Trenton
n. j., and Norwalk, Ct, potteries and
from abroad. Two artists came from
abroad to decorate the ware and draw
the designs. They were Theophile
Fry from Belgium or France and
David Greatbach. who belonged to
the celebrated English family of
Greatb9chs all of whom were artists.
The hound handled pitcher is his
best known design. A Mr. Farrar
was their superintendent and under
him Decus Clark.
John Lee and Enoch Barber were
mould makers. Enoch and Thomas
Moore, William and Charles Leek,
John Coughclaw, Stephen Pies, JOS
eph Lauton and Captain Enoch Wood
all worked there, also Lyman Clarke.
DR.. s. r. Wilcox, Mr. G. b. Sibey, Mr..
Charles Sanford The ware manufac-
tured was Rockingham ware also a
flint enameled ware, for which Mr..
Fenton took out a patent. 1t is SINH
lar to Rockingham but harder and
more brilliant in appearance and was
made in three colors, black notified
with yellow. olive and yellow and
brown and yellow, with red, blue and
green mixed. They also made white
granite ware, Parian ware, and a
little soft paste porcelain, and ware
known as scrodeled or lava ware
One man made stone china bowls on
fiat wheel by the process known as
throwing. The wheel was worked by
foot lathe and woman tread the
lathe. Several women were also
, employed to decorate the ware as
there was some porcelain made with
a gilt decoration.
They must also have made some
| fire brick as Mrs. Il. l.. Sibley says
that in tearing down an ash house at
| her home, which was formerly the
property of A. p Lyman, they found
it was lined with a fire brick marked
"B. Fenton, Bennington"
A variety of clays were used in the
manufacture of the ware, some com
| ing from New Jersey, some from
South Carolina and large amount as
ballast in ships coming from abroad
1t being about as cheap to import in
this way as to bring from New Jersey
The largest piece of ware in exist
ance is the monumental piece, ten
feet high, which stands on the piazza
between Mrs. w. b. Walker and
Henry Fillmore's homes. This house
was built by Judge Norton in 1885
and made double house so that his