History

History of :

Love Field Potteries

Love Field Potteries began operation in either 1919 or 1925. Lionel McKamey, a local Banker and Taylor Jackson, a local Lawyer were the two original founders of the pottery. There is some question as to the actual date that the plant began operation. The 1925 date is the most accepted (see foot note at the end of this section*).

James Andrew Green and his family, including Henry Green who was 2 at the time arrived, at the Love Field Potteries in 1926. James Green was the Kiln Burner and Acting Plant Manager. Young Henry began working in the plant as soon as he was old enough to and continued uninterrupted except for his years of military service 1943-1946. James Green worked and apprenticed at a pottery in Winfield Texas, owned by a Jim Houge, prior to his arrival in Dallas.

Henry Greens' memories of this long defunct company are as vivid today as they were over a half a century ago. In describing life at the pottery his conversations were colored with many sentimental and familial type stories and antidotes for one lived and worked at the pottery. Mr. Green recounts that there were 10 or so "company houses" on the property were the employees lived. Turn over was almost non-existent. " I came here when I was two and when I returned from the war in 1946 there were mostly the same people there." The Pottery also offered its employees and near by neighbors protection from tornados. The kiln walls were eight bricks thick and extremely large (“...large enough for three delivery trucks to fit inside at the same time.”); thus, providing an ideal tornado shelter when not in operation.

Around 1946 Love Field Potteries was sold to Keith Burge who was forced to discontinue operations in March of 1948. The closure was due to tremendous increases in the cost of production. Mr. Burge attributed these increased costs to the lack of locally suitable clay and the transportation cost involved in shipping clay to the facility in Dallas. Prior to the sale of the plant to Mr. Burge Love Field Potteries already had problems. Foremost was getting the raw material (clay) to the plant. The lack of boxcars available for "non-essential" usage during the war was extremely limited. With raw material shortages and the advent of newer lighter, cheaper materials to manufacture containers (Glass, Aluminum, Plastics, Stainless Steel, etc.) the plant was in trouble. When Mr. Burge purchased the plant it was to be an up hill struggle at best.

Americas change from a predominantly Agrarian society to a Modern Industrialized society also affected the demand for utilitarian pottery and Love Fields ability to function profitably. As cities grew the demand for churns, jugs and crocks diminished. Furthermore, as technology advanced there were newer, cheaper less bulky materials to package items in to get them to market. Glass jars and bottles, Tin and Aluminum cans and containers, soon replaced jugs, straight walled crocks and smaller storage crocks as receptacles for every day food items. By the late 1940's early 1950's churning ones own butter was had become like the stage coach; nothing more than a nostalgic memory, for city dwellers and towns folk. Unfortunately, Texas utilitarian pottery companies were to face the same fate as the churn. Today the only utilitarian company still in business is Marshall pottery located in Marshall Texas. And the bulk of their income and production is in terra cotta flowerpots.

By March of 1948 Love Field Potteries occupied 6 acres of land and with six buildings adjacent to the Love Field Airport. The plant was located between Love Field Drive (South) and Adda Street (West) with the then Dallas Aviation and Air School (later Air Associates) bordering its Eastern side. According to a Dallas Times Herald story dated March 14, 1948 the land and buildings were put up for long-term lease. The first building leased contained over 30,000 square feet of floor space and was let to Pines Engineering and Pines Manufacturing Co. that same month.

Love Fields was predominantly a Regional pottery with most of their sales being within Texas. The plant owned three deliver trucks that crisscrossed the state selling and delivering their goods to hardware stores, nurseries and other vendors. Ed Morrison and a Mr. Beasely were two of the three drivers. Not only were the drivers responsible for delivery of the products they were also responsible for packing, unloading and taking orders for the next delivery. Today's truck drivers would revolt if asked to pack truckloads of pottery into wooden barrels (protected with straw) and then drive them to the buyer and uncrate the order, take a new order and then do this over and over until the truck is empty. There were no electric pallet jacks or pallets even for that matter.

*There is some question over the actual date of inception. Lonnie Dale Byrd and Bob Helberg state the date as 1919 while Georgeanna Greer as well as Susan A. Lebo and Maynard B. Cliff and others place the date as 1925. Currently I have been unable to find any primary source material to verify the exact date the operation began.

Logos:

Love Field Potteries used two different stamps during its operation. Both contain the words "Dallas, Texas" below the oval of the Logo. The only difference in the two stamps is that the first has a Bi-Plane in the center of the logo and the second has a Monoplane. Both planes have "Above Them All" written across the wing (top wing in the case of the Bi-Plane).

While I have no proof to back it up I am assuming that the Bi-Plane logo was the first one used. I base this assumption solely on the chronology of aircraft design. Mr. Henry Green did not specifically remember whether or not both stamps were used interchangeably at any point in time but he used the same chronological logic sequence that I have stated above when asked about which came first. He further stated that he thinks they used the "new" Monoplane stamp to give their wares a more " Modern " look in the early to mid 1930's and he believes they discontinued the use of the Bi-Plane stamp at this time.

Examples with the Bi-plane logo seem slightly harder to find. Both a large (2" radius) and small version (1.5" radius) of both company logos can be found, thus another variation to collect. The size of a particular crock is generally found stamped just below the Company Logo. I have seen one or two examples where no size is given. I happen to own a jug that is not marked as to its size. I assume this is simple an error in the manufacturing process.

Manufacturing Trends:

Photo Cortousy Brian Garner & Michelle Gray

While it may appear to the collector that Love Field Potteries produced mostly utilitarian pottery such is not the case. According to Henry Green Love Field Potteries not only produced utilitarian kitchen type stoneware (Crock, Churns, and Jugs) they also produced terra cotta pots (for Nurseries), Bird Baths, mixing bowls, plates, platters, pitchers and even hand turned decorative vases and other custom order hand turned pieces They also made very large planters/vases (around five feet tall) for hotels. Pat Turner and Louie Stone were the two men responsible for hand turning of pottery at Love Field. Most of the above mentioned items I have never seen. So lets all keep looking.

In addition to the blue and white water pitcher shown on the unusual items page Mr. Green has informed me that the same picture was also glazed in a solid brown and in a solid yellow. Additionally he said they produced a smooth sided white Bristol glazed pitcher that was decorated with 2 blue bands. Ellie Leach would apply the bands and then apply the handle to these pitchers. He does not believe the brown grape embossed pitcher nor this white smooth sided one was ever marked with the Love Field logo. In our trips antiquing we have seen 1000's of unmarked white pitchers with the two blue bands and we have always attributed them to Marshall or Byrd Pottery. Love Field may have in fact made many.

Many Thanks to (Laurie Green) who put me in contact with her Father-in-law Mr. Henry Green.

I am always looking to add new items to this web site and or my collection. Please forward pictures and correspondence through the links below.

For those interested in submitting pictures or information to be included on this web site please email them to: Lovefieldpottery@aol.com

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