Genesee Country Village & Museum Online Store is Up & Running for The Holidays!

 Just in time for the holidays, the Genesee Country Village & Museum is proud and excited to announce that once again, all of our specialty pottery is avaliable in our online store and is able to be shipped to your home!

Used throughout the village, our Salt Glazed Stoneware, Redware and Albany slip Pottery are all entirely handmade in the village by Master Potter Mark Presher.  Each piece is hand throw on the potter's wheel, each handle, hand shaped. Mark does not use molds in any way and his pieces have a sincerity and authenticity not found elsewhere. 

The styles and designs he produces are based on historic research of 19th century potteries in this area. The Salt glazed stoneware is fired in our wood fired kiln, the only wood-fired kiln in a Museum in the country. That, combined with their historical accuracy, means that the pieces produced in the village are as close to 19th century pottery as can be.  Mark's craftsmanship is unmatched. If you've been to the village, you've see his work in almost all of the village buildings and of course, in each village kitchen!


This is a great way to bring a little of the authenticity of the museum into your home and any of the pieces in our shop would be a fine gift for the museum lover on your list! 

We also have artisan products from our Tinsmiths and broom makers online. And starting next week, we'll have The Official Fat Ox Ale Glassware and Stoneware Mugs!  Over the next few weeks we'll have more children's items, books and replicas of our village made by The Cat's Meow!

All orders ship within 3 business days! 
 

And, as always, all of these pieces in our online store are also avaliable for sale in our gift shop! 

Mark is showcased in the documentary, The Potters Fire, also avaliable online. 

Salt Glazed Stoneware Made In The Village

At the Flint Hill Pottery, one type of Stoneware that our resident potter, Mark Presher creates is salt glazed stoneware.

The unique characteristics of salt glazing were discovered in the Rhineland in Germany during the 14th century. The salt reacts and forms a shiny glazed surface without an additional glaze to accomplish it. The German stoneware was also characterized by the use of a cobalt oxide based colorant for decoration. This process and type of stoneware made it's way to the Genesee region with the completion of the Erie Canal.

The stoneware in the Northern United States is very distinctive as it bears close resemblance to the German stoneware that it is descended from. The pottery in the Genesee region is further distinctive as it tends to have more intricate designs than in other regions. Often, when making many of the same items, the design was used as a way to set yourself and your work apart from your competitor.

Mark makes traditional salt glazed stoneware in the village pottery and decorates it with a typical 2 dimensional design that would have been popular in the 19th century. He creates pieces for use in the village and also for sale in our gift shop. He has recently designed a new growler and beer mug to commemorate our new 1803 Fat Ox Ale.

We also have a documentary featuring Mark which details the process of making stoneware in the 19th century as well as about the life of the potter, entitled, "The Potter's Fire."

Here is a short clip to enjoy!