The Land Act of 1796 opened the gates for a flood of settlers into the
lands of the Upper Ohio River Valley. The natural clay soils of the
valley, coupled with an abundance of salt for glazing and the Ohio River
as a nearby source for transportation, laid the foundation for what
would become the pottery capital of the United States. Naming their new
towns for those they left behind-Liverpool, Chester, Newell-English and
Irish entrepreneurs established factories for making crockery. The
industry boomed and, by the turn of the twentieth century, Ohio Valley
pottery was being exported throughout the world. The story of pottery
production is more than a list of manufacturers; the towns that grew
around these factories and the lifestyles of the people who worked in
them provide the social fabric of the Ohio Valley. From the early
pioneer villages of the hand-thrown period to the towns with bustling
shops and regular trolley service, residents built homes, schools, and
churches, creating thriving communities.