There were two factories in Greensboro, one for roof tiles and another for jars, jugs, pots, etc. Alexander Vance started the first factory in Greensboro as early as 1800. The tiles were first made from red clay. Later, white clay from the banks of the Mon produced the distinctive blue/gray stoneware.
The glaze was achieved by throwing salt into the kiln while baking, and a vapor created by this made the glaze. The blue/gray glaze and freehand style were unique to this area, and the pottery was shipped down the Mon to Ohio and then to the Mississippi. At the industry's peak from 1860 to 1880, 200,000 gallons of pottery were made yearly. The industry thrived from the 1840s to 1915.
