ARKANSAS ART POTTERY RESEARCH MATERIAL
M89-15
This collection consists of research materials on Arkansas potteries. Arkansas history, from the 1860s to the 1940s, is rich in ceramic manufacturing heritage. Although many locations afforded opportunities for pottery operations, there were three sites where ample quantities of clay provided the means for the production of art pottery.
The three principal pottery companies were the Ouachita Pottery Company of Hot Springs in Garland County, Niloak Pottery Company of Benton in Saline County, and the Camark Art Tile and Pottery Company of Camden in Ouachita County. A lesser known art pottery operated briefly at Eureka Springs in Carroll County called Ozark Pottery. In addition, George Rumrill from North Little Rock ran a successful company where he and others designed pottery and had out‑of‑state companies make it.
The core of this collection is the result of the publication by the UCA Archives of the Arkansas Art Pottery Bibliography, compiled by David Edwin Gifford. Supplementing these materials with new primary and secondary sources on Ozark and Rumrill potteries, this collection will provide interested parties the opportunity to learn more about Arkansas' unique artistic/ceramic heritage. This collection, with its wide range of printed matter, includes books, periodicals, government documents, catalogs, and company literature like portion advertisements and pamphlets. Moreover there are copies of original photographs which appeared in various publications and in the Old State House's exhibit Niloak: An Arkansas Art and Tradition, in 1989. This particular collection is expandable; and as new printed and photographic sources surface, it will be updated.
Arrangement
This collection is divided into six (6) series. The first five are in the chronological order of when the companies were established: OUACHITA (1906), NILOAK (1926), CAMARK (1927), and RUMRILL (1933?). The sixth series, GENERAL MATERIALS, contains information that pertains to some of the above companies and/or the Arkansas clay industry itself. Each series is then divided into sub series in the following order: PRI- MARY SOURCES, SECONDARY SOURCES, CATALOGS, and PHOTOGRAPHS. With the exception of NILOAK, some series do not have catalogs and/or photographs sub series since none are known to exist at this time.
Tracings
Arkansas Art Pottery Resource Material
Business and Industry ‑ Camark Pottery Company
Business and Industry ‑ Niloak Pottery Company
Business and Industry ‑ Ouachita Pottery Company
Business and Industry ‑ Ozark Pottery Company
Business and Industry ‑ Rumrill Pottery Company
Carnes, Samuel J. (Jack)
Ceramics
Cities and Towns ‑ Benton
Cities and Towns ‑ Camden
Cities and Towns ‑ Eureka Springs
Cities and Towns ‑ Hot Springs
Cities and Towns ‑ North Little Rock
Counties ‑ Carroll
Counties ‑ Garland
Counties ‑ Ouachita
Counties ‑ Pulaski
Counties ‑ Saline
Gifford, David Edwin
Hyten, Charles D.
Porcelain
Pottery
Rumrill, George
Stehm, Charles
Winburn, Hardy L., III
Photograph Tracings
Business and Industry ‑ Niloak Pottery
Business and Industry ‑ Ouachita
Cities and Towns ‑ Benton
Cities and Towns ‑ Hot Springs
Counties ‑ Saline
Counties ‑ Garland
Hylen, Charles D.
Pottery
Series I ‑ Ouachita Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources
Box I
File 1 ‑ Ouachita Pottery Advertisement, Little Rock Sketch Book, October 1906.
File 2 ‑ Ouachita Pottery Advertisement, Cutter's Guide to Hot Springs, 1907.
File 3 - Incorporation Announcement for Hot Springs Clay Products Company, The Clay-Worker, May 1908.
File 4 -Biographical sketch of Lee Worthington, in Fay Hempstead's Historical Review of Arkansas, 1911.
Series I ‑ Ouachita Pottery
Sub series II ‑ Secondary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Letter addressing the Ouachita and Rockwood connection, 1972.
File 2 - Brief notation on Ouachita, Novel’s Collector's Guide to America Pottery, 1974.
File 3 ‑ Request for information on Ouachita and some history, The Record, 1976.
File 4 ‑ "Ouachita Pottery," by Paul Evans, Spinning Wheel, 1977.
File 5 ‑ Paraphrase of Evans' article by Mary Hudgin's, The Record, 1978.
File 6 ‑ Inaccurate information on Ouachita by Lois Lehner, 1988.
File 7 ‑ Information on Arthur Dovey's association with Ouachita, 1988.
Fil 8 ‑ Ouachita chapter in Evan's Art Pottery of the U.S., 1988.
Series I ‑ Ouachita Pottery
Sub series III ‑ Photographs
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Ouachita Exhibit at Arkansas' First State Fair, Hot Springs, 1906.
File 2 ‑ Office and Salesroom, Interior, 1906.
File 3 ‑ Workshop, Interior, 1906.
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 - Niloak Pottery Company, Announcement of organization, The Clay-Worker, February 1909.
File 2 ‑ "The Famous Niloak Pottery, Benton, Using Arkansas Kaolin," (May 1911).
File 3 ‑ "Articles of Agreement and Incorporation of the Niloak Pottery," July 1911.
File 4 ‑ "A New American Pottery," The Clay-Worker, May 1913.
File 5 ‑ Niloak of the Ozark, by Allen Sawyer, April 1916.
File 6 - "Famous Niloak Pottery," by Mrs. Bernie Babcock, Yesterday and Today, 1917.
File 7 ‑ Niloak Pottery Company, surrendering of corporation, January 1918.
File 8 ‑ "Famous Niloak Pottery," Arkansas Gazette 1919, (same as file 6 above).
File 9 ‑ Niloak Pottery Advertisement, National Editor's Magazine, 1919.
File 10 - "Beautiful Niloak Pottery: An Exclusive Product of Arkansas Clay Deposits," Arkansas Democrat, November 6, 1921.
File 11 ‑ Niloak Pottery Advertisement, Arkansas Democrat, November 6, 1921.
File 12 ‑ "Niloak Pottery Because of Its Color Patterns Is Unique in Art," Arkansas Democrat, April 17, 1921.
File 13 ‑ "Charles D. Hyten," Centennial History of Arkansas, Volume II, 1922.
File 14 – “It's Now the Potter's Turn,” by Lillian H. Crowley, International Studio, September 1922
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources (cont'd)
Box I (Continued)
File 15 ‑ "The Niloak Pottery, Benton, Ark.," by Leo P. Bott, Jr., Ceramic Age, 1928.
File 16 ‑ "Pottery," Directory of Arkansas Industries, 1924.
File 17 ‑ "Niloak Pottery Is Unique Product," Arkansas Gazette, July 19, 1926.
File 18 ‑ Niloak Pottery Advertisement, Horseback and Hiking Trails, 1926.
File 19 ‑ "Here, There, and Everywhere," The Clay-Worker, 1927.
File 20 - "Ceramic Art Flourishes in Little Arkansas Town Where Beauty of Clay Alone Works Magic Results," by Carolyn Bell, Houston Post, 1927.
File 21 - "Pottery Patent," Official Gazette of the Patent and Trademark Office, January 31, 1928.
File 22 ‑ Patent Announcement, Ceramic Abstracts, April 1928
File 23 - Niloak Pottery Advertisement, Arkansas: A Presentation of Facts on Arkansas, 1928
File 24 ‑ Niloak Pottery Advertisement, Arkansas Gazette, June 5, 1929.
File 25 - "Charles D. Hyten," D.Y. Thomas, Arkansas and Its People, Volume III, 1930.
File 26 ‑ "Workers in Clay," Arkansas Gazette, September 11, 1932.
File 27 - "Niloak Pottery," by Sarah Mizelle Morgan, The Ozark Magazine, 1936.
File 28 - “You and Tomorrow and Ceramics," by Hardy L Winburn, Arkansas Education, 1943.
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources (cont'd)
Box I (Continued)
File 29 - "Arkansas Clay Goes to War," by Diana Sherwood, Arkansas Gazette, March 28, 1943.
File 30 - “Famed Potter, C.D. Hyten, of Benton, Drowns," Arkansas Democrat, September 7, 1944.
Pottery Originator Drowns Near Benton," Arkansas Gazette, September 7, 1944.
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series II ‑ Secondary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Typescript of article from, Dixie Magazine, January 1926.
File 2 - “Benton‑Saline County: Niloak Pottery," Lex Davis, Know Arkansas, 1926‑1927.
File 3 ‑ "Niloak Art Pottery," Centennial Edition of the Benton Courier, 1936.
File 4 ‑ Seventy Years of Saline County Pottery, by Hardy L. Winburn, Jr., 1938.
File 5 - Saline County Pottery Since 1868, by Hardy L. Winburn, Jr., 1940 (revised edition of "Seventy Years"‑ see file 4).
File 6 - “Made From Arkansas Clay," by Pat Dunnahoo, Arkansas Democrat Magazine, January 7, 1962.
File 7 - "Saline County Clay and a Secret Process," by David O. Demuth, Arkansas Democrat Magazine, July 6, 1969.
File 8 ‑ "Niloak Pottery," by Elwin Goolsby, Old Bottle Magazine, April 1970.
File 9 - Cheap Glass Killed Once‑Thriving Pottery Industry," by Pat Dunnahoo, Arkansas Gazette, June 28, 1970.
File 10 ‑ "The Niloak Pottery," by Paul F. Evans, Spinning Wheel, October 1970.
File 11 – Niloak Pottery Little Known Ware of Art Nouveau Period," by Orva Heissenbuttel, TriState Trader, March 13, 1971.
File 12 ‑ "Letters on Niloak," Spinning Wheel, June 1971.
File 13 – “Arkansas Group Collects Niloak Pottery Products," by Jo Ann Rogers, Collector's Weekly, October 19, 1971.
File 14 ‑ "Niloak Pottery," by Jeannette H. Dixon, Hobbies, March 1973.
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series II ‑ Secondary Sources (cont'd)
Box I (Continued)
File 17 – “The History of Niloak Pottery," A four‑part series by Arlene Hyten Rainey, Saline County Pacesetter, March 1971.
File 18 - Niloak Pottery," by Virginia Coleman Johnson, The Antiques Journal, July 1973.
File 19 - Niloak Pottery," by Grace Weiss, The Antique Trader Annual of Articles, 1973.
File 18 ‑ "Facts About Niloak," by Kenneth Mauney, circa 1973.
File 19 – Niloak Pottery: Benton, Arkansas, Paul Evans, Art Pottery of the United States (1st ed.), 1974.
File 20 – Niloak Pottery, Deb and Gini Johnsons, Beginner's Book to American Pottery, 1974.
File 21 – Niloak Pottery, Ralph and Terry Kovel, Kovels' Collector's Guide to American Art Pottery, 1974.
File 22 – Niloak Pottery Benton, Arkansas," by Judy Smith, Pottery Collectors Newsletter, November 1976.
File 23 - "Circus Parade of Niloak Animals," by Jo Irwin, The Antique Trader Annual of Articles, 1978.
File 24 - "Important Niloak Collection in Storage," by Duke Coleman, American Art Pottery, September 1981.
File 25 - "Hacienda is home for Niloak," by Jane Dearing, Arkansas Democrat, March 21, 1982.
File 26 ‑ Niloak Pottery, 1909‑1946, Lucile Henzke, Art Pottery of America, 1982.
File 27 - "Niloak Swirl Vase: Signed and Dated," by R.S.Doherty, American Clay Exchange, April 1982.
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Box I ‑ (Continued)
File 28 – “Now‑obscure Niloak pottery forms exhibit at LR museum," by Cindy Fribourgh, Arkansas Democrat, August 14, 1983.
File 29 – “First‑ever Exhibition of Niloak Pottery Open at Museum of Science, History," by Dorothy Palmer, Arkansas Gazette, August 19, 1983
.
File 30 - "Noteworthy: New Niloak Paper stickers," American Clay Exchange, January 1984.
File 31 - "Niloak Swirl Pottery Production, "by Bob Doherty, American Clay Exchange, March 1984.
File 32 - "Niloak Swirl Candlesticks," by Bob Doherty, American Clay Exchange, July 1984.
File 33 - "Niloak's Hywood," by Bob Doherty, American Clay Exchange, September, 1984.
File 34 - "Woman Recalls Father Making Pottery," by Libby Smith, The Dumas Clarion, February 19, 1986.
File 35 - "Niloak Pottery Company Of Benton, Arkansas," by David Edwin Gifford, Spring 1986.
File 36 - Niloak Pottery Co., Elisabeth Cameron, Encyclopedia for Pottery and Porcelain, 1986.
File 37 - Addenda: Niloak Pottery, Paul Evans, Art Pottery of the United States (2nd ed.), 1987.
File 38 – Niloak Pottery Company/Hyten-Eagle Pottery Company, Lois Lehner, Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain, and Clay, 1988.
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series III ‑ Catalogs
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Niloak Potter: Made in Arkansas, c.1920.
File 2 ‑ Niloak of the Ozarks, 1921.
File 3 ‑ Niloak Pottery Catalog, 1921.
File 4 ‑ Niloak Pottery, 1929.
File 5 ‑ Hywood Art Pottery, 1933.
File 6 ‑ Niloak of the Ozarks, c.1934
Series II ‑ Niloak Pottery
Sub series IV ‑ Photographs
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Eagle Pottery Employees, c.1910.
File 2 ‑ Interior of Niloak Pottery, c.1925.
File 3 ‑ Niloak's "clay wagon," c.1937.
File 4 ‑ Niloak's storefront, Asher Avenue in Little Rock, c.1937.
File 5 ‑ Niloak's company truck with Jules Palmer, c.1937.
File 6 ‑ Charles Hyten at pottery wheel, c.1937.
Series III ‑ Ozark Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 – Handmade `Ozark Pottery' Made from Native Clays," Fayetteville Daily Democrat February 19, 1926.
File 2 - "Pottery To Be Established In Arkansas," The Clay-Worker, October 1926.
Series IV ‑ Camark Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ "Gift and Art Journal Introduces Camark," Camden News, 1927.
File 2 ‑ "Camark Pottery Sold Everywhere," Camden News, 1936.
File 3 ‑ "New Kiln at Camark Pottery Plant," Camden News, 1937.
File 4 ‑ Camark Pottery, Helen E. Stiles, Pottery in The United States, 1941.
File 5 ‑ "Camark Pottery Plant," Arkansas: A Guide to the State, 1941.
File 6 ‑ "Rhapsodies in Clay," Arkansas Democrat, July 17, 1947.
File 7 ‑ Rhapsodies in clay..., Camark pamphlet, c.1950.
File 8 ‑ "The Potters of Camden," The Delphian Quarterly, 1953.
File 9 - Camark Pottery, O.E. McKnight and Boyd W. Johnson, The Arkansas Story, 1955.
File 10 ‑ "Death Claims Jack Carnes," Arkansas Gazette, December 26, 1958.
File 11 ‑ "Jack Carnes, Camden, Dies at 62," Arkansas Democrat, December 26, 1958.
File 12 - "Camark Pottery Represents Early Industry," by Ernie Deane, Arkansas Gazette, July 11, 1965.
Series IV ‑ Camark Pottery
Sub series II ‑ Secondary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ "Camark," Jo Cunningham, c.1970.
File 2 ‑ Camark, Deb and Gini Johnson, Beginner's Book of American Pottery, 1974.
File 3 - An Early Look at Camark...and a word to the wise," American Art Pottery, April 1978.
File 4 - Out of the mold," by Rena London, National Glass, Pottery, and Collectables Journal, June 1979
File 5 ‑ "Camark," by Don Brewer, Depression Glass Daze, June 1982.
File 6 ‑ Camark Pottery: 1926‑ , Lucile Henzke, Art Pottery of America, 1982.
File 7 - Camark: A Legendary Name In American Pottery," Newcomer's Guide to Camden, El Dorado and Smackover, 1983.
File 8 ‑ "Weller??, No, Camark," American Clay Exchange, May 15, 1984.
File 9 ‑ "Camark‑Coors," American Clay Exchange, May 30, 1984.
File 10 - Camark Pottery Company: Camden, Arkansas, Jenny Derwich and Mary Latos, Dictionary Guide to United States Pottery and Porcelain: Nineteen and Twentieth Century, 1984.
File 11 - "Camark: A Legendary Name in American Pottery by Joseph D. Alsbrook (reprint of file #7 above), American Clay Exchange, June 15, 1985.
File 12 – “Camark Metamorphosis," by Doris and Burdell Hall, American Clay Exchange, October 30, 1986.
Series IV ‑ Camark Pottery
Sub series II ‑ Secondary Sources (cont'd)
Box I (Continued)
File 13 - "The History of Camark Pottery," by Clay Cook, Patterns: A Social History of Camden, 1986.
File 14 - Camark Pottery, Lois Lehner, Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. MARKS ON Pottery, Porcelain and Clay, 1988.
Series IV ‑ Camark Pottery
Subseries III ‑ Catalogs
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Camark Pottery, 1942.
File 2 ‑ Camark Pottery, c.1945.
File 3 ‑ Camark Pottery, c.1950.
File 4 ‑ Camark Potter-One sheet, c.1960.
Series V ‑ Rumrill Pottery
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Rumrill listing, Little Rock telephone directory, 1933.
Series V ‑ Rumrill
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ Red Wing, Marion Nelson, Art Pottery of the Midwest, 1988.
Series VI ‑ General Materials
Sub series I ‑ Primary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 ‑ The Clays of Arkansas by John C. Banner, 1908.
File 2 - Arkansas, 1836-1936, Senate Document #191, 2nd Session of the 74th Congress, 1936.
Series VI ‑ General Materials
Sub series II ‑ Secondary Sources
Box I (Continued)
File 1 - "The Art Pottery Era in the United States, 1870 to 1920‑Part 2," by Paul Evans, Spinning Wheel, October 1970.
File 2 - [Swirl Imitators], Deb and Gini Johnson, Beginner's Book of American Pottery, 1974.
File 3 - "Hy Long by Niloak?, No! Hy Long by Frank and Ola Long," by Marilyn Jones, American Art Pottery, January 1979.
File 4 - To Be Niloak Or Not To Be Niloak," by R.S. Doherty, American Clay Exchange, December 1982.
File 5 - "Some Notes on Southern Pottery," by Ken Forster, Journal of the American Art Pottery Association, September/October 1987.
File 6 ‑ Dickota, Marion Nelson, Art Pottery of the Midwest, 1988.
File 7 - Ouachita, Marion Nelson, Art Pottery of the Midwest, 1988.
File 8 - “Niloak Potter Showroom and Sales Office, Military Avenue, c 1937
File 9 - Additional Materials
End of Box 1
End of Collection