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Nelson McCoy Pottery Works around 1926
In April of 1910 The Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware
Company, located in Roseville, Ohio, was formed by
Nelson McCoy and his father J. W. McCoy. They began to manufacture and sell functional and decorative stoneware. They also mined, bought and sold clay. This part of their business provided clay to many of the area potteries for several years. In May of that year they contracted for the construction of a building and purchased the equipment necessary to produce the products in large quantity. They selected the Roseville area because of the availability of clay and the land that the city donated free of cost.
The Region had the natural resource of clay and the work force with the necessary experience in manufacture of earthenware. Ohio had been from the early 1800's, a pottery producing area. With the knowledge, resources, and product need the Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware
Company was a successful enterprise from the start. The
Stoneware was functional in the beginning and consisted of such items as Jars, Jugs, and Crocks for use in food and beverage storage to items such as poultry fountains, foot warmers and other not so glamour pieces.
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Pictured: Nelson McCoy Sr.
By 1925, after 15 years the McCoy family divested itself of interest in other pottery companies mentioned above and began to expand the Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Company.
This expansion was to be both in products manufactured and larger facilities and more modern equipment. A new kiln was to be installed. This kiln was a tunnel kiln over 300 feet long and was the first of its kind in the area. This increased their production capabilities considerably and allowed them to produce not only the functional stoneware products but they were able to expand into the specialty art pottery products for the more affluent population. Such items as the Jardinieres and their Pedestals. The Umbrella Stands, Vases and other decorative products began to command more of their efforts. The functional became more decorative and the artistic requirements of the potteries increased. The Nelson McCoy staff included Designers and Artisans and began a new era for the Company as well as the industry.
During the late 20's and into the 30's the Pottery produced products that were fired with blended glazes and the designs were predominately dominated by, leaf and berry motifs. These glazes were earthy tones of brown and green. Many glazes were limited to the green and were more common and less expensive. They made these in mass throughout the 30's, reproducing the same successful designs which were functional which had an appeal to the public because they were inexpensive, attractive and every day usage pieces.
The Depression was tough on the Potteries of the area and in order to survive they formed a co-op called American
Clay Products Company which had one marketing or merchandising program. Each pottery produced its wares and they were included in one marketing and sales program which was offered to the buyers through the same salesmen.
This may account for the close similarities of the products offered and the designs. Items of this era are hard to distinguish as to the manufacturer except to the knowledgeable collector who can recognize who made what. A few of the pottery manufactures who banded together and formed this association where:

Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Co.

Burley Pottery Co.

Crooksville Pottery Co.


Muskingum Pottery Co.

Star Stoneware Co.

Logan Pottery Co.
This cooperative effort eventually lead to the demise of the Association and of course the desire to sell more product then the competitor ended the joint marketing efforts shortly after it began.
As the Company moved into the 40's so did the nation move into the war. World War II proved to be yet another change in the operation and the products that the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company would produce. The Nation's War effort was moving industry into manufacture of War materials. And since land mines were made of clay rather than metal so they would not be detectable with metal detectors, the McCoy company was given a contract to full fill for the U.S. and its allies. This meant that the pottery had an allotment of clay to use for the manufacture of the mines and what ever was left over they could use to make their own products. They developed and produced a line of dinnerware and other related items. Once again they were functional items rather than decorative. Yet the items still had a degree of creative content.
The country and the McCoy Pottery Company survived the war. McCoy continued to produce both functional and decorative art pottery. From the mid 40's and into the 50's and 60's the company produced a line of cookie jars, which today predominates in the interest of the collector of McCoy.
Throughout its almost 100 years of existence the McCoy family maintained ownership of the company and the president of the company was a McCoy through 4 generations. The company continued to grow as the economy grew and was considered to be the premise manufacture of art pottery in the U.S. At the zenith of the company's existence the employment had grown to over 450, many of which were sons and daughters, sisters and brothers of the artisan who passed the trade on to their families. Even surviving a major fire in 1950, which destroyed the pottery, the plant was rebuilt and expanded several times and grew to over 200,000 sq. ft. and was able to produce on average a 50,000 pieces a day.
In 1967 yet another change came to the McCoy Pottery. The company was sold to The Mount Clemens Pottery
Company and again in 1974 was sold to The Lancaster Colony Corporation. While the pottery maintained its creativity it was facing ever increasing competition from "Off Shore" products that was making it difficult to make a profit and continue to grow. The quality of the product was excellent in comparison, but the public was looking at a less expensive alternative to the U.S. made product.
In 1990 the McCoy Pottery ceased operation after a number of declining years of sales and profit. While it is sad that a Century of existence ended for the company, it lives on through the many collectors and individuals that appreciate the art form known as "Art Pottery".