The pottery was started in 1885 by Beryl Griffith, an English-Welsh potter. Since 1885 four generations of the Griffith family have operated the pottery. Beryl's son Clyde took over the operations and in 1912 changed the name from Griffith's Pottery to Clay City Pottery. During Clyde's management, most of the facility was rebuilt. He added new buildings and remodeled the existing ones. Then in 1927, with the help of his son Lloyd, the large kiln that is still used today was built. In 1938, Lloyd continued the tradition and became proprietor of the pottery. He made many improvements to the pottery, but kept in place the values that were learned from his father and grandfather. In the early 1960's Lloyd replaced the old steam engine that had driven the potter's wheels since 1914, with electric motors. Lloyd also converted the kiln from coal to gas around 1971. In 1979, the business was handed over to the fourth generation of Griffiths, Lloyd's daughter Cheryl. Cheryl's interest and enthusiasm has enabled the pottery to grow in new markets. Today Clay City Pottery bowls, pitchers, plates, and shakers can be purchased all over the country. But just like in her great-grandfather's days, it still takes a lot of hard work and time to make a quality product steeped in tradition.
     The way clay is worked and kiln fired has changed very little since the beginning of Clay City Pottery. Modernization has come slowly and each generation has contributed its own values while preserving its heritage. The clay is still processed right at the pottery by running the clay through screens and presses, removing stones and impurities. It's formed into round "cakes" weighing about fifty pounds each. These are then ground by a stone wheel and water is added to make the clay more workable. In the early years the pottery pieces were hand shaped on a potter's wheel. This method was discontinued about the turn of the century and was replaced by molds and a new operation called "jiggering". Many of the molds used today were designed by Beryl Griffith. The newest and most exciting changes have been in the colors of the pottery. In recent years "Spongeware" has been reissued and in 1992 Teal Green was introduced. Each year new items and collectors editions are featured in limited quantities. Only from a pottery with the heritage and values of over a hundred years, can you find the kind of quality Clay City Pottery still offers today.  To keep up with the times we now offer more colors in the traditional stoneware and also have limited edition runs of various products. To find out what is new at the pottery, please visit our "what's new" page.

Clay City Pottery Inc. 510 East 14th Street P. O. Box 79 Clay City, In 47841