A Pause for Benjamin Keeler: Connecticut native Benjamin Keeler had a short but profitable stint (1825-1827) as owner of the Huntington Pottery. Keeler "... was engaged in the coasting trade, and was also connected with a pottery at Huntington, Long Island, but during the latter portion of his life was a farmer." [Commemorative biographical record … Continue reading Lewis & Gardiner
Samuel J. Wetmore & Co. purchased the Huntington Pottery from Jonathan and Sarah Titus on February 27, 1805 for $250.93. The partnership consisted of Samuel Wetmore (1774-1823), Samuel Fleet (1768-1823), Scudder Sammis (1764-1812), and Timothy Williams (1756-1811).
The first known document concerning ownership of the Huntington Pottery is a deed dated February 27, 1805. This deed transfers ownership from Jonathan and Sarah Titus to Samuel J. Wetmore & Co., a group of Huntington entrepreneurs that included Scudder Sammis, Samuel Fleet, Timothy Williams and Samuel Wetmore.
Before any current record of pottery manufacture in Huntington, the quality of Long Island clay was recognized by potter Adam States (his Dutch name Anglicized from Staats). States used Long Island clay to create, most likely, the first sustainable stoneware manufactory in New England.
