George Hammett and his son John operated a pottery in Cottage Inn, Wisconsin that is near Belmont from 1856 to 1861. George previously worked in Galena, Illinois. The pottery he made in Cottage Inn resembles the pottery made in Galena, making attribution difficult. Fortunately, sherds were recovered from the pottery site and are pictured below.
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Hammett Pottery Examples
Hammett Pottery is not signed and resembles pottery made elsewhere in the region so no attribution can be 100%. These pieces that we have attributed to the Hammett Pottery based on provenance, style, and similarities to sherds recovered from the site.
This ovoid jug stands 6 1/2” tall. It was purchased at auction in 1984. The very elderly owner said that its battered condition was because her grandpa used it as a canteen when he worked in the lead mines. The distinctive lip on this jug seems to have been used only on smaller sized Hammett jugs. The author has seen another in a one-gallon size. Private collection.
Ovoid earthenware jar with tall, thick collar and turned foot. Bands of coggled ornament (impressed using a toothed wheel) at base of collar and at neck, above a band of coggled arch shapes. Two applied lug handles. Interior of rim has ledge for lid (now missing). All-over greenish-black glaze; unglazed collar. 11 3/4" tall. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Large ovoid demijohn. Two applied crescent-shaped handles. Two incised lines around neck. Green lead-based glaze with orange spots. Attributed to Hammett. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wda/id/1350/rec/9 object 1944-939. In the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Museum.
Small globular earthenware jug with ringed collar, turned foot and applied strap handle. Clear lead glaze. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Decorative Database https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wda/id/1381/rec/11 object WHA117
In the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Museum.
Small ovoid earthenware jug with ringed collar lip, turned foot, and applied strap handle. Clear lead glaze. Attributed to Hammett. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database, object 73-114 https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wda/id/1205/rec/5. In the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Earthenware jug with lead glaze and short flat rim.
Small earthenware jug with elongated neck and brown lead glaze speckled with black. Attributed to Hammett.
Four-gallon earthenware crock with lead glaze and very thick rolled rim.butter pot attributed to Cottage Inn. Incised "4" on the rim, ear handles, incised coggled band at the ears and line below which match shards found at Hammett site.Wisconsin Decorative Art Database. https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wda/id/1192/rec/4 object
73-119.. From the Kenosha Public Museum.
Three-gallon jar attributed to Hammett with ear handles and speckled glaze. The "3" capacity stamp is on the top of rim. It was part of a long-time Wisconsin collection.
Three-gallon jar attributed to Hammett with ear handles and speckled glaze. The poorly stamped "3" capacity is on the top of rim. Private collection.
Three-gallon jar attributed to Hammett with ear handles and speckled glaze. The "3" capacity stamp is on the top of rim. Private collection.
Earthenware crock with very thick rolled rim and Hand scratched "4" near handle. Two applied crescent-shaped lug handles. Mottled green and orange lead-based glaze. Attributed to Hammett.
Two-gallon crock attributed to Hammett. "2" is stamped on the rim, with double incised lines.
Food storage jar with clear lead glaze andsingle incised ring, no handles. Attributed to Hammett. Private collection.
This cylindrical jar has a single incised ring and speckled lead glaze. While the predominant glaze color of Hammet pottery is yellow/green there are some pieces known with similar glazes that are likely Hammett based on form and the location found.
Two-gallon pot stamped with capacity numeral, lead glaze and single incised line, no handles. Attributed to Hammett
Four-gallon earthenware butter churn with stamped "4" on the oversized rim, Semi-circular ear handles and lead glaze. Attributed to the Hammett Pottery. Private collection.
Slightly ovoid lead-glazed earthenware jar with banded collar and thick rolled lip. Two applied lug handles. Mottled green and gray lead-based glaze. 14" tall. Photo from the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database. Object 1981.401.239. In the Pendarvis Collection (Wisconsin Historical Society). https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wda/id/330/rec/13
Quart earthenware jar, single incised ring, lead glaze with lid. This jar was seen in a shop in southeastern Wisconsin. The glaze and color resembles pieces found on the pottery site.
Food preserve jar attributed to Hammett with cover found on a farm near Belmont.
Slightly ovoid earthenware jar with banded collar and thick rolled lip. Clear lead-based glaze on interior and exterior, unglazed lip. Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database object https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wda/id/2338/rec/2 private collection.
Red earthenware jar with dark brown glaze with black speckles. Prominent square rim and incised line on the shoulder. Possibly Hammett.
Cream pot attributed to Hammett with lead glaze, bold rim turning, and incised line, no handles or capacity stamp. Found in an estate sale in Madison, Wisconsin. Private collection.
Sherds from the Hammett Pottery Site
These fragments were collected by Mark Knipping in 1971 in Cottage Grove.
Hammet jar partially reassembled. This mottled yellow/green color appears to be the prevalent color found at the site but there was considerable variation in glaze colors. Note the short flat ear handle.
Three over-fired milk pan fragments nested together. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
The waster dump yielded these broken freshwater clam shells used for shaping rims and polished beef bones used for smoothing.. They are well worn from use and were discarded. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Stacking rings dug at the Hammett site.
Jar and lid fragments with lead glaze but over-fired. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Bottom view of lids from the collection of Mark Knipping.
Top view of lids. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Capacities were hand scratched or stamped on or just below the rim. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assorted rim forms. The glaze color is similar to the majority of shards found at the site. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assorted crock, jar or cream pot rim examples. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Rims with capacity stamps. Note the 1 ½ and 4 in reverse and the distinctive "3". From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Crock handles in various styles, with a flatter arch on larger capacity pieces. Notice the range of glaze colors. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Milk pan rim – inside view of the piece in the previous figure. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Milk pan rim – outside view of the piece in the next photo. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
It appears that Hammett used several methods to mark capcities - stamps were carved from wood, metal stamps or scratched into the wet clay by hand. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Band of coggled decoration below the rim. Very few pieces were marked this way.
Jug tops were made in two styles. This is the simpler one, similar to those on Galena jugs but without a string tie groove. The one at the upper right is the more elaborate form. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Some pieces have heavily speckled glazed but the predominant color is a mottled yellow/tan/green. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Assorted sidewall fragments. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Unglazed flowerpot fragments. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Bases from unglazed flowerpots. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assorted bases, From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assorted basees. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assorted mottled sidewall fragments. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assorted mottled sidewall fragments. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Miscellaneous sherds. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Ear handle sherds. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Mostly ear handle sherds/ From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Yellow glaze body sherds. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assortment of yellow sidewall sherds. This was the predominant color of the sherds found at the site. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Glaze peeling was common on sherds at the site. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Assortment of yellow wall sherds. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
More yellow body sherds. From the collection of the Kenosha Public Museum.
Primitive pipe bowl, hand formed and unglazed. It may have been discarded because it was burnt during firing. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Walnut sized lump of Galena found among pottery fragments. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
Kiln bricks were found in abundance, often coated with glaze. From the Collection of Mark Knipping.
