Made by David Brunk, Ball Township, Sangamon Co., IL
Wheel-thrown stoneware, brown slip glaze
An important discovery made in early Illinois was the abundance of clays needed to make stonewares. Prairie homemakers lacked suitable containers for many foods and often relied upon wooden vessels, which tended to absorb odors and fats and were difficult to clean. When potter David Brunk moved from Ohio to settle south of Springfield, he made redware. He began production of stoneware once the necessary clays were found, probably among outcroppings of coal along the Sangamon River.
Gift of Burrell M. Brunk, Emma Elzeretta Beard, and Franklin J. Brunk in memory of Shelby M. Brunk, Rochester, IL (1986.53)
© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96