c. 1869–1884
Reverend and enslaver John M. Wilson brought Hiram (Hyrum) Wilson, James Wilson, and Wallace Wilson to Texas from South Carolina through forced migration in the 1830s. By the 1850s, John M. Wilson had taught the three enslaved men pottery techniques derived from the traditions of Edgefield, South Carolina, bringing those traditions westward.
In March 1872, Hiram, James, and Wallace opened the H. Wilson & Co. pottery in rural Guadalupe County, Texas. From 1872 until the company’s dissolution in 1884, H. Wilson & Co. pottery flourished, utilizing a primarily salt-glaze technique from South Carolina in their ceramics production.
H. Wilson & Co.
Galveston, Texas
c. 1869–1884
Salt-glazed stoneware
B.93.1
Loan courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase fund by The Brown Foundation, Inc.
