Place

Egmondville, Ontario

Date

1876 - 1880

Materials & techniques

Earthenware hand turned on a pottery wheel; decorated with cobalt blue flowers and glazed

Credit

Jacob Weber, Huron Pottery

ID

Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol N000.4877

The Huron Pottery at Egmondville, Ontario operated for nearly 60 years and is considered one of Ontario’s oldest and longest operating earthenware workshops. Emigrating from Germany in 1850, Valentine Boehler established the pottery in 1852 at Egmondville, Huron County, Ontario. He operated the pottery as sole proprietor for 22 years until 1873 when he formed a partnership with his future son-in-law Jacob Weber.

 

Boehler retired in 1876 and sold the business to Weber. Weber expanded the production of the Pottery and its reputation grew. He was shipping carloads of pottery to Manitoba as well as throughout the more local counties in Ontario. During this time Weber created elaborate sprig decorations to be used on the pottery. Weber also decorated with cobalt blue flowers to resemble and compete with the more sought after stoneware.

 

In 1897, Weber rented the pottery to his brother Joseph who employed potters John Allan and Ferdinand Burgard. Burgard, who was the nephew of the original potter, Valentine Boehler, bought the pottery 3 years later in 1900. The pottery closed in 1910.

 

In 1922, at the home of his daughter, Ferdinand Burgard died. The Huron Expositor of October 21 of that year reminisced at the passing of the last potter of Huron County, who, it reported, "had not admitted defeat but to the end….remained captain of his soul for he refused ever to capitulate to the machine age."