Lot Essay
These vases were made from a black clay that, unlike the other local clays in Pennsylvania, remained black instead of turning a reddish color. This type of clay imparted a "disagreeable taste" and as such, was not used for items intended to hold drink or food. The Diehl pottery, located in East Rockhill Township, is known to have used this black-colored clay. The pottery was established by Samuel Diehl in 1825 and later run by his sons, William and Josiah, until the pottery and all of its contents were destroyed by fire in 1904 (Scheetz, pp.194-195).