Red Wing Pottery
Red Wing, Minnesota pottery industry got its start when a German immigrant settled in Goodhue County Minnesota in 1861. The spot chosen, on the banks of the Mississippi River, would someday become the site of the Red Wing Pottery clay pits. Joseph Pohl was the first but some historical accounts claim John Paul was the man's name. The gentleman originally settled as a farmer and began making pottery pieces for his own use.
In 1866, Francis F. Philleo, a former mayor of Red Wing, opened the first real pottery factory. Francis and his son William manufactured pickle jars, crocks and churns, which the nearby farmers used. The factory was destroyed by fire in the summer of 1870 and rebuilt the same year, named Philleo and Williams.
In 1872 the Red Wing Terra Cotta Works was formed and in 1874 David Hallum started the Minnesota Pottery. In 1877-8 Red Wing Stoneware Company was officially incorporated. This company was innovative and well respected in the industry. Fire again plagued Red Wing when parts of the factory went up in flames in the mid-1880s. A larger, more modern factory was built to replace it.
In 1883 the Minnesota Stoneware Company was formed. Though this company could have been said to be in direct competition with the other, the two often made pieces that were compatible with the others. In 1891, The Red Wing Sewer Pipe Company and the J.H. Rich Sewer Pipe Works began using the local clay that was considered unsuitable for the products made by the Red Wing Stoneware Company and the Minnesota Stoneware Company.
The North Star Stoneware Company began in 1892 and this culminated into three major stoneware manufacturers competing in the small town of Red Wing. In 1894 the three companies consolidated and formed the Union Stoneware Company. In 1896, the North Star division of the Union Stoneware closed. In 1906 the merger of the two companies was complete and their new name was Red Wing Union Stoneware Company. The company name was changed to Red Wing Potteries, Inc. in 1936.
Beginning 1930s moving forward the product line began to change with convenience of refrigeration and new food storage methods. Flower vases, pots, pitchers, ashtrays and eventually dinnerware were the favored products. Red Wing Pottery continued until a major labor strike took its toll on the company in 1967 and the doors were closed.
Richard A. Gillmer, the last president of Red Wing Potteries, Inc., purchased the company's outlet store and the remaining inventory. In 1968 he formed Remnicha, Inc. which means 'red wing' in native-American languages. In 1970 Mr. Gillmer changed the name to Red Wing Pottery Sales, Inc. In 1986, Red Wing Stoneware opened its doors. John Falconer, an accomplished potter, makes replicas of some of the old Red Wing designs as well as many new products. In 1996, Scott Gillmer, grandson of Richard Gillmer, started Red Wing Potteries, Inc., which makes new salt glaze pottery products in the old method. |
