Description: Downtown East Liverpool. East Liverpool is known as "Ohio's Gateway," as it was an early stop for early river travelers. Although there are now only three potteries in the city, it was once know as the Pottery Capital of the World. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06858
Subjects: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio); Pottery industry--Ohio
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: C.T. American Art colored postcard of Chester Bridge and Thompson Pottery connecting Chester, West Virginia to East Liverpool, Ohio. Built in 1897 and spanning the Ohio River, this bridge was part of the Lincoln Highway from 1928-1969. Postcard ca. 1935-1943. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F17_028
Subjects: Bridges--Ohio River; East Liverpool (Ohio); Lincoln Highway.
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Downtown East Liverpool. East Liverpool is known as "Ohio's Gateway," as it was an early stop for early river travelers. Although there are only three potteries left, it East Liverpool was once the Pottery Capital of the World. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06859
Subjects: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio); Pottery industry--Ohio
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Handbill from Acme Supply Company of East Liverpool, Ohio, advertising the Gladys Dinner Set line of ceramics. East Liverpool was known as "America's Crockery City" and "The Pottery Capitol of the Nation" in the latter half of the 19th century due to its large production and sale of pottery. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: VFM6226
Subjects: Advertisements; Advertisements; Businesses; Pottery industry; Ceramics industry; Porcelain; Tableware;
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: The East Liverpool company of Knowles, Taylor and Knowles produced this Etruscan-style ewer in the 1890s. It measures 9 by 11 inches (14 by 24.5 cm). The ewer is a piece of Lotus Ware, a type of porcelain developed by the company in 1892. It was the first American-produced porcelain that could rival the well-established European companies. Lotus Ware won top awards at the World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893. The popular porcelain was advertised as "the whitest, purest, thinnest and handsomest art china for decorating manufactured." Lotus Ware was manufactured from 1892 to 1896. It was expensive to make, because the fragile china frequently broke in the heat of the kiln. Workers sometimes took pieces of unbroken Lotus Ware home with them, due to its value and beauty. Isaac W. Knowles opened a small pottery in East Liverpool in 1854. In 1870, John Taylor and Homer S. Knowles joined the company. The operation expanded during the next two decades. By the 1880s, Knowles, Taylor and Knowles was producing translucent china. By 1890, the company was the largest manufacturer of white granite plain and decorative ware in the nation. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1381_1534925_001
Subjects: Business and Labor; Pottery; Pottery industry; Porcelain; Pitchers; Knowles, Taylor & Knowles (East Liverpool, Ohio)
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reproduction of a photograph depicting two blacksmiths working at the Knowles, Taylor, and Knowles pottery in East Liverpool, Ohio, ca. 1901. W. Knowles opened a small pottery in East Liverpool in 1854. In 1870, John Taylor and Homer S. Knowles joined the company. The operation expanded during the next two decades. By the 1880s, Knowles, Taylor and Knowles was producing translucent china. By 1890, the company was the largest manufacturer of white granite plain and decorative ware in the nation. The factory closed in 1931. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03709
Subjects: Blacksmiths; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business; Employees
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: This 5" x 7" (12.7 by 17.8 cm) photograph depicts two blacksmiths at work at the Knowles, Taylor, and Knowles pottery in East Liverpool, Ohio. W. Knowles opened a small pottery in East Liverpool in 1854. In 1870, John Taylor and Homer S. Knowles joined the company. The operation expanded during the next two decades. By the 1880s, Knowles, Taylor and Knowles was producing translucent china. By 1890, the company was the largest manufacturer of white granite plain and decorative ware in the nation. The factory closed in 1931. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1539_1507411_001
Subjects: Business and Labor; Pottery industry; Ceramic industries; Potteries; Blacksmiths; Knowles, Taylor & Knowles (East Liverpool, Ohio)
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio); Crooksville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Harker, Taylor and Company of East Liverpool made this yellow ware water cooler. The solid yellow body is covered with a decorative glaze and a red ware plaque. It was probably made to enter in a national competition. Harker, Taylor and Company won a silver medal for its products in a national competition in 1848. Yellow ware and red ware pottery were two of the most common types of pottery manufactured in East Liverpool during the nineteenth century because of the large amounts of clay that could be found in the area. Before the invention of refrigeration, people used water coolers to keep water colder than room temperature. It measures 19" by 21" (48 by 54 cm). Harker, Taylor and Company were known for their high-quality Rockingham pottery, a brown-glazed type of pottery named for the Rockingham factory in England, and their yellow ware. Benjamin Harker Sr., an English immigrant, bought a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio in 1839 and soon realized it was rich in clay deposits. He sold the clay and eventually opened his own pottery, although he was not a potter. He leased the pottery to local potters, but the venture was not successful. Harker then hired potter John Goodwin to train his sons Benjamin Jr. and George in the pottery trade. In 1846 the Harkers were joined by James Taylor to create Harker, Taylor and Company. The pottery was manufactured at the company's three-story "Etruria" factory, named after the Wedgwood Company's factory in England. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1380_1170030_001
Subjects: Business and Labor; Pottery; Pottery industry; Ceramics industry; Yellow ware
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated 1895, this is an advertisement from The Specialty Glass Co. in East Liverpool, Ohio, for their Crystal Pennova Ware. The Specialty Glass Co. manufactured blown, pressed, cut, and engraved tableware. The company was founded in 1882, but was not prosperous until 1888. Because the Ohio Gas Company could not provide sufficient gas supplies, glass production stopped several times throughout the 1890s, and the company also fought the city for a railroad from the city streets to the plant. By 1897, the company decided to leave the city due to the lack of cooperation with the city council, but in 1898 the plant caught fire and burned down and the decision was made to not rebuild. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS4253
Subjects: Glass industry; Glassware; Tableware; Advertisements; Ohio Economy
Places: East Liverpool (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three hot air balloons rise into a cloudy sky at Copeland Oaks Estates in Sebring, Ohio. The image was submitted by photographer George A. Smith of East Liverpool, Ohio, in the Professional category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B03F11_01_1
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Hot air balloons;
Places: Sebring (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio);
 

Description: Two young people set up a hot air balloon on the lawn outside Copeland Oaks Estates in Sebring, Ohio. One hot air balloon is already floating in the background. The image was submitted by photographer George A. Smith of East Liverpool, Ohio, in the Professional category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B03F11_02_1
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Hot air balloons;
Places: Sebring (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a woman taking dinner plates off the assembly line and stacking them. This is most likely the Libbey Glass Company Plant in Toledo, which manufactures tumblers, tableware, cut-glass, thin-blown stemware, engraved and decorated glass, though it could also be the Anchor-Hocking Glass Company in Lancaster, the Hall China Company in East Liverpool, or any of the other glass making plants in Ohio. The Libbey Glass Company Plant, located at 1000 (now 940) Ash Street in Toledo, Ohio was an affiliate of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company from 1933 until it was spun off as Libbey Inc. in 1993. The company, owned by William L. Libbey, moved to Toledo in 1888 with the city providing a 4 acre factory and 50 lots for employee homes. The company changed their name from W. L. Libbey & Sons Company to Libbey Glass Company in 1892, the same year they secured a contract from Edison General Electric to produce hand blown light bulbs. Michael J. Owens, in charge of the Toledo plant, designed machines to produce things such as light bulbs and tumblers and in 1903 he invented the automatic bottle blowing machine. The company’s growing success was stifled by the Depression, which resulted in Owens-Illinois buying Libbey. With better management of the plant, the company was able to pull Libbey out of its financial problems. With the onset of World War II, the company began producing tubes for x-ray machines and other electronic equipment, as well as preparing to the postwar market. Libbey continued to be a profitable part of the Owen-Illinois company until the 1990’s. Spinning off the division in 1993 was a way to free Libbey of the constraints of being part of a large company, and unburden the large debts that were piling up. In 2001, Libbey attempted to buy Anchor-Hocking, but the Federal Trade Commission opposed the deal. As of 2004, it was the United States' largest manufacturer of glass dinnerware, with plants in Louisiana, California, and Ohio, as well as in the Netherlands. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F03_046_001
Subjects: Industries--Ohio--Toledo; Glass blowing and working--United States; Libbey Glass Manufacturing Co; Libbey, William, 1855-1927; Owens, Michael Joseph, 1859-1923; Owens-Illinois Glass Company; Libbey Inc
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)