The Menasha Pottery was started by Luther Bachelder and his sons Carlton and Cleveland. They initially made earthenware but soon converted to making stoneware using clay imported from Ohio. The pottery operated until 1866 when Carlton went into pottery wholesaling.
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Menasha Pottery Examples
The Menasha Pottery made high quality stoneware mostly from Ohio clay in the early years then sometimes from New Jersey clay starting in the late 1850's. Most of the pots one-gallon or more in capacity were decorated. Of those, less than one-quarter were also stamped. The decoration varied somewhat, but it appears that just a couple of potters apparently decorated the majority of them, probably Carlton and Cleveland. Consequently, unmarked stoneware made at the Menasha Pottery can be attributed based on the decoration alone. The Bachelder's also had some distinctive features in their turnings that can also help identify unmarked pieces.
Luther Bachelder earthenware two handled jar scratch marked on the bottom "Oct 29 1837 / Luther C. Bachelder". Luther was the father of the Bachleder brothers who operated the pottery in Menasha.
Wheel-thrown earthenware spittoon with lead glaze attributed to Bachelder, ca. 1850. It was found in a basement in Menasha. This is the earliest piece known from the Menasha Pottery.
The Menasha Pottery apparently used same stamp for all of its marked stoneware. It appears that the stamps were often usually dipped in cobalt to enhance readability, but sometimes, like in this case, it it appears to be brushed over with cobalt. The “OHIO STONE” brand name suggests that they planned to use only Ohio Clay exclusively. However, they later also used clay from New Jersey and possibly other sources as well.
Salt-glazed stoneware two-gallon butter churn with ear handles, Bachelder stamp, and cobalt flower decoration with the original cover.
Bachelder three-gallon butter churn with ear handles and the Bachelder oval stamp and "2" below. It has a typical Bachelder cobalt flower and an old wood cover and dasher..
Marked Bachelder three-gallon butter pot with ear handles, grooved rim, incised "3" gallon capacity, and double flower decoration.
Marked Bachelder two-gallon jug with incised "2" gallon capacity and flower decoration.
Stamped three-gallon salt-glazed Bachelder butter churn with incised "3" gallon capacity and cobalt flower decoration and ear handles. The rim has a groove and there is a raised area just above the handles.
Stamped three-gallon salt-glazed Bachelder butter churn with incised "4" gallon capacity and cobalt flower decoration and ear handles. The rim has a groove and there is a raised area just above the handles.
This two-gallon jar has has a decoration that is a variation of the typical flower but the leaves are not typical of Bachelder decorations. The capacity stamp is proof positive that it was made at the Menasha Pottery.
Salt-glazed and unsigned Bachelder food storage jar with a cobalt flower decoration, incised line at the shoulder and wide rim with a faint string-tie groove in the rim.
Salt-glazed stoneware unstamped Bachelder three-gallon butter pot with ear handles and a double flower cobalt decoration and incised capacity.
This unmarked Bachelder four-gallon butter pot has several classic Menasha Potter distinctive elements: the string-tie rim, a unique "4", and the "tounge flower" decoration.
The Bachelder jar on the left was made from Ohio clay based on its color. The one on the right with the tan color is more typical of New Jersey clay.
Unstamped one-gallon Bachelder preserve jar with a cobalt leaf decoration.
One-gallon decorated unstamped Bachelder crock with string-tie rim and ear handles. Menasha Pottery was one of just a handful of potteries that bothered to decorate one-gallon crocks, and quite a few of these small crocks survived.
Unmarked Bachelder three-gallon butter pot with Roman Numeral capacity. The Berlin Potteries marked most of their earthenware this way. Charles Tolman worked for Bachelder in 1861 and also for the Berlin Pottery after that. Charles's father owned a Berlin pottery for a time.
Few stoneware potters sold many flower pots, especially decorated ones, because earthenware pots were cheaper to make. This is a rare Bachelder example.
One-gallon salt-glazed stoneware bowl attributed to Bachelder with an incised line and underlined cobalt "1" [gallon capacity] and ear handles.
Unmarked salt-glazed bowl with pouring spout attributed to the Menasha Pottery. Overall size 12" diameter by 5" tall.
Salt-glazed Bachelder cover for two-gallon butter pots with Albany slip on the knob and petal area. It is identifiable by the capacity stamp on the handle that matches the ones used on their pottery.
Salt-glazed Bachelder cover for three-gallon butter pots. It is identifiable by the capacity stamp on the handle that matches the ones used on their pottery.
Top view of a butter churn cover attributed to Bachelder.
Bottom view of a stoneware butter churn cover attributed to the Menasha Pottery.
Bottom view of a Bachelder butter churn cover.
Menasha Pottery - Identifying Traits
There are many pieces of pottery that are unmarked but have forms, decorations, glazes that resemble Bachelder. Many of them come from Ohio, New York, Michigan or elsewhere. Bachelder did not mark most of their products and decorations varied quite a bit, making attribution difficult at times. However, many unmarked Menasha Pottery pieces have one or more of the elements below that are strong evidence that they were made by the Menasha Pottery.
Bachelder crocks and often (but not always) have a groove in the rim for tying on cloth covers. This style of rim is rarely used by other potters, so it is a reliable way to identify Menasha Pottery stoneware.
There are a handful of flowers that the Bachelder's used on a regular basis including these four. There are also some minor variations of these flowers. While some potteries used similar decorations, this flower is one clue that helps identify it as a Bachelder piece.
Curled leaves like these are often found in Bachelder decorations, so they can help identify unmarked Bachelder stoneware.
Bachelder jug lip finishes tend to be short and stubby. While other potteries sometimes made them this way, Bachelder's jugs are almost always shorter than most.
Bachelder turners cut pots from the wheel with a wire then pushed up the bottoms so the didn't rock on a flat surface. Although most potters did this to some degree, Bachelder pieces are often pushed them up more than most - in this can almost a half inch. The convex bottom is another helpful way to identify Bachelder pottery.
The painted number four is distinctive, although not unique, making this a good way to identify Bachelder pottery.
An element often found in Bachelder flowers are offset leaves in groups of three or four.
Apparently the Menasha Pottery had only one set of capacity stamps and they are quite distinctive, making them a definitive way to identify Bachelder pottery. Unfortunately, most Bachelder pottery had painted capacity numbers instead of stamped capacities.
