page_title: Seagrove, North Carolina
section_title: Pottery
hierarchical_section_title: Seagrove, North Carolina / History / Pottery
caption_attribution_description: English: A photograph of the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove. By David Bailey.
context_page_description: Seagrove is a town in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 228 at the 2010 census. It was named after a railroad official when the area was connected by rail. The center of population of North Carolina is located a few miles east of Seagrove.
  In this usage, the name Seagrove not only refers to the town proper, but also includes several other communities that are part of the pottery tradition along and near the "North Carolina Pottery Highway". Over 100 potteries are located in Seagrove and the neighboring towns of Star, Whynot, Erect, Westmoore, Happy Hollow, and Robbins. Seagrove is also home to the North Carolina Pottery Center, which was established on November 7, 1998 and has since received visitors across the continent and around the world.
context_section_description: Seagrove's pottery tradition dates back to the 18th century before the American Revolution. Many of the first Seagrove potters were Scots-Irish immigrants. They primarily produced functional, glazed earthenware. Due to the high quality of the local clay and transportation access for traders, Seagrove became known for its pottery.
  The popularity of Seagrove pottery fell off during the Industrial Revolution and the advent of modern food preparation. For a time whisky jugs were a successful source of income, but the beverage was outlawed. The potteries continued their decline in the early 20th century.
  In 1915, Jacques and Juliana Busbee of Raleigh made an effort to revive the industry. Over several decades, the Busbee’s hired Seagrove potters JH Owen, Charlie Teague,  and Ben Owen to make signature wares under the name Jugtown Pottery to sell in the Village Shop, which they opened in Greenwich Village, NYC, and later from the Jugtown shop in Seagrove.
  Around 1920, a new market developed as the pottery became popular with tourists driving past on their way to Pinehurst, Southern Pines, or Florida buying inexpensive souvenirs. The new tourist industry marked a general change from utilitarian pottery to more decorative ware. After another decline from the 1950s through 1970s due to the road being replaced with the Interstate, a renewed interest in traditional pottery developed. In 1982 a group of local potters founded the North Carolina Museum of Traditional Pottery and organized the Seagrove Pottery Festival, an annual event held each year the weekend before Thanksgiving in the old bean cannery.
  The Cole, Auman, Owen, Teague, and Albright families are eighth- and ninth-generation potters in Seagrove who continue this tradition.
  Some of the oldest, historic pottery locations still in operation include the "Original" Owens Pottery founded in 1895 and Jugtown Pottery founded in 1921. Jugtown Pottery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
caption: The North Carolina Pottery Center is a museum which highlights the Seagrove region's pottery traditions.
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