National Register of Historic Places

Jugtown Pottery

Seagrove, Moore County, North Carolina
Listed
November 12, 1999
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99001284

About this property

Jugtown Pottery was founded in 1921 by Jacques and Juliana Busbee, artists from Raleigh, North Carolina, who in 1917 discovered an orange pie dish and traced it back to Moore County. There, they found a local tradition of utilitarian pottery in orange, earthenware, and salt glazes. The Busbees saw an opportunity to help save a dying craft, and in 1918 they set up the village store in Greenwich Village, New York, in order to sell the pottery. Potters they worked with over the years included J. H. Owen, Charlie Teague, and Ben Owen. Jacques died in 1947. In 1960, John Mare bought Jugtown Pottery and hired Vernon Owens as the Jugtown thrower. After the sudden deaths of Mare and Juliana in 1962, Owens leased the business and kept it going for six years, until it was sold to Country Roads, Inc., a nonprofit organization working toward the preservation of hand crafts. Under the direction of Country Roads, Nancy Sweezy served as director and potter. Sweezy changed the earthenware glazes to fritted lead glazes, then developed a new line of high temperature glazes in order to make them lead-free. She also developed a completely different line of complex colors, including Blueridge Blue, Cinnamon, a different Tobacco Spit, Mustard and Dogwood White. Sweezy also set up an apprenticeship program that served over thirty pottery students from 1969 through 1980. In 1983 Country Roads moved on to another project, and Vernon Owens bought Jugtown. He has run it with his wife Pam Owens since then. Pam and Vernon opened the Jugtown Museum in 1988. Jugtown Pottery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The listing includes the log sales room, log turning room with attached pugmill, frame glaze room, and two kilns beneath a shelter, all built about 1921, and the house added to the complex about 1924. Jugtown Pottery is located near the Pottery Road on North Carolina Highway 705, an area known for many potteries.

Location

330 Jugtown Rd.
Seagrove, Moore County, North Carolina
35.50777, -79.65172

Categories

ARTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Jugtown Pottery

This page lists Jugtown Pottery. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Jugtown Pottery report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Coleridge Historic District
Listed
9.4 mi
Star Historic District
Listed
10.6 mi
Pisgah Community Covered Bridge
Industrial
13.8 mi
Bryant, James, House
Industrial
14.4 mi
Bowen-Jordan Farm
Industrial
14.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Jugtown Pottery listed on the National Register?

Jugtown Pottery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Jugtown Pottery?

Jugtown Pottery is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Jugtown Pottery?

The period of significance for Jugtown Pottery is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Jugtown Pottery?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Jugtown Pottery will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Moore County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Moore County.

Explore MooreCounty ›

More historic places in North Carolina

Browse all historic places in North Carolina.

View North Carolinahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

North Carolina history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

North Carolinahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Jugtown Pottery will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report