The Maben Public Library has a new display for the patrons to view: a selection of Blue Ridge dishes that were hand painted back in the early 1900s.
“Blue Ridge is a type of American dishware manufactured by Southern Potteries Inc. from the 1930s until 1957. ... Blue Ridge dishware is rooted in a pottery established in Erwin, Tennessee, around 1916 at the behest of the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railroad and chartered as Southern Potteries Incorporated in 1920.
“Southern Potteries initially stamped its dishware pieces with the name “Southern Potteries,” but in the 1930s had begun to use its now-famous “Blue Ridge” stamp, referring to the mountains surrounding Erwin.
“The bright, clear colors and uninhibited style of Blue Ridge dishware gave it an immediate edge over the rigid styles of decal-decorated dishware, and by 1938 Southern Potteries had transitioned entirely to a hand-painting operation.
“The plant employed 300 workers in 1940 and its dishware was being marketed in showrooms across the country, including storefronts at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart and on Fifth Avenue in New York. Blue Ridge dishes were also featured in ads by Sears and Quaker Oats (Internet).”
Blue Ridge Pottery dishes made in the Appalachian mountains are popular with collectors.
These few patterns are part of a collection belonging to Dottie Dewberry.
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